Dear Neighbors,
We’re ending our third week of the new legislative session, and a lot has already happened that I want to share with you.
New Roles and Committees
I am honored to be starting my fourth term as your state representative, and I’m especially excited to be serving as the Chair of the House Government Operations Committee. The Government Operations Committee provides oversight to local government, state boards, commissions, task forces, and has jurisdiction over election policy. It’s a responsibility that I take very seriously, and I look forward to working with all policymakers to make Minnesota a better place to live, work, and play. We live in a great state with a well-run government, but there is always room for improvement. The other committees I serve on include:
- Health and Human Services Policy
- Rules and Legislative Administration
- State Government Finance Division
- Subcommittee on Legislative Process Reform
- Subcommittee on Local Government
Equal Rights Amendment
This week the House Government Operations Committee passed two very important bills relating to the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The ERA is a proposed amendment to the US Constitution designed to guarantee equal rights under the law, regardless of gender. HF 13 and HF 71 are a priority for the new House leadership.
HF 13, authored by Rep. Kunesh-Podein (who is also a teacher in the Robbinsdale School District), proposes a constitutional amendment to add the ERA to the Minnesota Constitution. As a proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, the bill would only need to pass with a simple majority in both the Minnesota House and Senate before it’s put to the voters to decide in a referendum during the 2020 election.
HF 71, authored by Rep. Moran, is a resolution asking Congress to extend the deadline for ratification of the ERA to the US Constitution. A national ERA has been attempted several times over the last century (it was first introduced to Congress in 1921!). The most recent deadline extension for the ERA was June 30, 1982.
Legislative Town Hall
We’ll be holding a Legislative Town Hall tomorrow, January 26, with Rep. Lyndon Carlson, Sen. Ann Rest, and myself. It will be at the Crystal Community Center, from 9:30-11am. We hope to see you there!
Keep In Touch!
If you’re unable to make it to the Legislative Town Hall, I still want to hear from you. As always, you can call me at (651) 296-4176, or email me at rep.mike.freiberg@house.mn. My office at the State Capitol has changed, I’m now in Room 509 in the State Office Building. I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Mike Freiberg
State Representative