Dear Neighbors,

You’re invited to join Rep. Liz Boldon, my new Rochester colleague in the Minnesota House, and me for a Virtual Town Hall Meeting this coming Saturday at 10 a.m. to discuss the 2021 legislative session. We will meet on Zoom (meeting ID: 977 7359 1148; passcode: 110986). The meeting will also be livestreamed on Facebook. If you prefer to join us over the phone, call 312-626-6799 and enter the meeting ID and passcode when prompted.

The event is nonpartisan and everyone in the community is welcome to join us. To submit a question, please enter it here.

We deeply miss the opportunity to visit with community members in person, but right now COVID-19 unfortunately makes that impractical. We look forward to seeing you Saturday and discussing the issues important to you and your family.

Defending Democracy

Earlier this month in Washington, D.C., we witnessed a startling attack on the will of American voters. The insurrection at our nation’s capital was carried out with the goal to delegitimize our system of free and fair elections, with much of the violence fueled by disinformation and baseless conspiracy theories. Not only should the violence and the lies which led to it be unequivocally rejected, but it’s also time to deliberately recenter our democracy on the needs and voices of everyday people.

Last week, House DFLers unveiled the Democracy for the People Act, a package of legislation that aims to build a strong, inclusive democracy that works for Minnesotans of every race, region, political party, and generation. It strengthens the right to vote and creates new opportunities for Minnesotans to participate in our democracy by: 

• Expanding voter registration and absentee voting
• Reducing the influence of corporations and wealthy, well-connected donors
• Protects voters and elections officials
• Reforms our state’s campaign finance system to empower small donors
• Establishes fair criteria for redistricting with input from Minnesotans

You can read more about this initiative here.

Olmsted County COVID-19 Relief Grants

In December, Minnesota lawmakers approved a $216 million package of economic assistance to small businesses. Of this, $114.8 million was made available to counties to provide grants to businesses and non-profit organizations affected by COVID-19.

Applications for the Olmsted County Small Business Relief grant program are now available. A total of $3,388,968 in economic support will be distributed to restaurants, bars, fitness centers, event and entertainment venues, and nonprofits. The deadline is Sunday, January 31 for small businesses to apply, and more information is available here from RAEDI. For nonprofit organizations, the deadline is February 2, and more information is available from the Rochester Area Foundation.

COVID-19 Vaccine Update

Last week, I chaired a meeting of the House Health Finance and Policy Committee with an update on Minnesota’s COVID-19 vaccine progress from Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm. I invite you to check out her presentation here or watch the entire committee hearing. It included a good discussion on some of the difficulties we’ve experienced – many of them as a result of inadequate doses from the federal government and a lack of a robust distribution plan within the Trump administration – and the next steps to meet our vaccination goals.

Please contact me with your questions, comments, and concerns.  Let me know if I can assist you in any way.  Thank you for the privilege of representing you in St. Paul.

Warmly,

Tina