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Dear Neighbor's
Happy Valentine's Day! We're just over a month into the 2019 legislative session, and I have a few things to update you on.
Opioids Hearing
As the opioid crisis continues to cause tragedies throughout the communities in our state, several pieces of legislation have been introduced at the legislature to combat this issue. We heard one such bill, HF 400, in the Government Operations committee this week. This is a bipartisan bill that would form an advisory council and provide money towards social services and prevention efforts. While this does not solve all of the problems associated with the opioid epidemic, it takes significant steps forward in bringing important solutions to several problems.
You can read more about Minnesota's opioid crisis here.
Conversion Therapy
As a member of the Health and Human Services Policy Committee, I was able to witness firsthand a packed and emotional committee hearing yesterday. Advocates came from all over Minnesota to testify on legislation to ban conversion therapy on a minor. Conversion therapy is the attempted practice of changing someone’s sexual orientation, though it is not endorsed by numerous mental health organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association.
A valentine I received in support of the bill
We heard from many LGBTQ Minnesotans who were coerced and subjected to this harmful practice. Not only is the therapy lacking in scientific evidence, it has proven to put young Minnesotans at serious risk of depression, substance abuse, and suicide. It’s time to end this dangerous practice, and I’m happy to say the bill passed its first committee hearing.
You can read more about the bill here.
Education Policy Hearing
This week I was able to present my bill to the House Education Policy Committee that would allow school boards to renew expiring referendums. This legislation would give school districts the same power that cities and counties have, while also saving on costs. The bill successfully passed out of committee, and you can watch that hearing below. |
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Town Hall
Thank you to everyone that came to our Town Hall last month. If you weren’t able to attend, we have another one this weekend! The Town Hall will be this Saturday, February 16th, at 9:30am. We’ll be at the Crystal Community Centeragain, and I’ll be joined by Rep. Lyndon Carlson and Sen. Ann Rest. I hope you see you there.
Sincerely,
Mike Freiberg |
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