 Dear Neighbors, I hope you’re having a good week. Last week, the House, Senate, and Governor reached an agreement on legislation to deliver hero checks to frontline workers who sacrificed their health and their families’ safety to protect us during the height of the pandemic. If you had to work in person during the height of the pandemic, it’s likely that you qualify. Find more information here. The deal also includes replenishing the Unemployment Insurance trust fund, which will help our small businesses as they are just getting back on their feet. We’ve been working hard in the House on getting this done since January, and I’m grateful our Senate colleagues decided to join us at the table to find compromise for Minnesota workers and businesses, so everyone can thrive. Last week, we had a flurry of activity on the House Floor, passing supplemental budget bills that invest in our students, schools, agriculture, natural resources, transportation safety and infrastructure and more. Here’s an update on our progress in the House:  Invest in Students and Teachers Minnesota students deserve every opportunity to succeed. The House education bill addresses the key funding shortfalls that have been identified by our local school boards. When I meet with our local school boards, they raise the same issues every year - we’re not supporting our students and teachers enough. Minnesota currently has one of the worst student-to-counselor ratios in the country. Especially after how hard the pandemic has been on our kids, we need to make sure that mental health resources are available and accessible. Our bill includes dedicated investment to hire additional mental health counselors. Our communities have always been proud of our outstanding public schools and these investments will enable them to continue to succeed with less pressure to increase their local property tax levies. Let’s make sure that every Minnesota student, no matter what they look like or where they’re from, is able to access a high-quality education. This is a good investment in our students and while I’m glad it passed, it was disappointing to hear rhetoric targeting LGBTQ students on the House Floor. You can find more details from Kare11’s news coverage here.  Ensure Stable, Affordable Housing for All Having a safe and secure place to call home is essential to public health, educational achievement, and economic security. We’ve worked hard this session to put together a Housing bill that invests in first-generation homeownership, supports our renters, and prioritizes keeping unsheltered Minnesotans safe. You can find more details about the Housing bill from our non-partisan House news coverage here.  On the Duluth Lift Bridge, one of many sites needing state investment Free 2-Year College, Important Support for Students We also passed our higher education bill last week. The bill includes a historic proposal that will provide free 2-year college for students. Our students have struggled under predatory loan policies and the high cost of living and learning. Students today are often the working poor. Here’s a clip of Rep. Noor’s floor remarks. Support our Infrastructure, Ensure Equitable Transportation We’ve put forward a balanced transportation bill that funds roads, bridges, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure; as well as improved customer service in Driver and Vehicle Services and a safer, more equitable public transit system. I was tagged to speak against a Republican amendment that would have cut off the light rail project that connects our community to the rest of the metro, here are my remarks. The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. We’re tackling the climate crisis by making critical investments supporting the transition to electric vehicles. You can find more details from our non-partisan House news coverage here.  Keep Minnesota Air, Water, and Land Clean As Minnesotans, we’re proud of our clean air, water, and soil and the many plants and animals that call our state home. The environment bill will preserve these valuable resources. We are also funding innovative climate solutions and taking action to reduce lead contamination and exposure to dangerous chemicals like PFAS. You can find more details from our non-partisan House news coverage here.  Support Free and Fair Elections Minnesotans regularly lead the nation in voter turnout, thanks in part to our exceptional elections system. We’re building upon that success by investing in our elections infrastructure, expanding the security and integrity of absentee ballots, and protecting our local elections officials. There are also significant investments in upgrading our outdated core administrative software systems and beefing up our cybersecurity capabilities. Here’s a clip of the discussion.  Caring for Our Veterans Too many families have had to deal with the unimaginable grief of losing a loved one to suicide. The House DFL’s Veterans budget includes a variety of solutions to tackle this epidemic and better address veterans’ mental health difficulties. We also include provisions to end veteran homelessness and provide additional economic security for veterans who need it.  Supporting Small Farmers and Soil Health Investing in sustainable agriculture is one of the quickest ways to support our climate and environment. This includes new investments in the soil-healthy grain Kernza and other emerging soil and water-friendly crops. House DFLers are delivering new investments in farmers and food producers so we can maintain a strong Ag Economy. We also take measures to improve urban agriculture and to help new farmers from diverse backgrounds get into the industry. Promote Health in Underserved Communities, Increase Affordability As I write this update, we’re debating the Health and Human Services bill on the House Floor. As the Preventive Health Division Chair, many of the proposals that I’ve worked on are included. If you’d like to follow the session, please tune in here. Let me know what you think! The proposal delivers bold investments to address the high healthcare costs we are facing, along with solutions to attract, recruit, and retain dedicated professionals in fields such as direct care, long-term care, and behavioral health. To expand affordable health care access, the budget includes the MinnesotaCare Buy-In, an option allowing individuals and families to access MinnesotaCare – the low-cost, high-quality health care program that Minnesotans have trusted for 30 years. The legislation also makes care less expensive by eliminating cost barriers for those enrolled in Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare. To prepare Minnesota for the future, the bill studies ways to reform health care delivery and financing. To better understand the impact of “long COVID,” the bill includes investments to raise awareness, develop guidance for its diagnosis, treatment, and care coordination in partnership with long COVID survivors and communities disproportionately impacted by it. Sustainable, increased funding is dedicated to rebuilding state and local public health infrastructure along with additional funding for the state Public Health Emergency Response Account. We’ve learned a lot through this pandemic. I’m committed to ensuring that our public health programs are properly equipped to weather this pandemic and the next. Here are my initial comments on the bill.  Reproductive Rights in Minnesota You’ve probably heard about the leaked Supreme Court decision from last night. With the news of this leaked decision, any perception of the Court as a fair arbiter of justice is gone. The decision would overturn and question not only Roe v. Wade, but also other precedents that over time have made our country a more just, inclusive, fair and welcoming nation to all people. Abortion is preventive health. With extreme maternal mortality rates within some communities, forcing mothers to carry a fetus to term is unconscionable. It’s truly frightening to see a political party clearly undercut reproductive rights at every turn. Luckily, Minnesota is a unique state in that our Minnesota Supreme Court found that abortion is protected in our state constitution in 1995. While abortion is legal and protected in Minnesota, access to abortion care remains too restricted to accommodate everyone who may come to our state seeking an abortion. We will be doing everything we can to protect and expand reproductive rights. Keep in Touch Don’t hesitate to reach out if I can provide any assistance. You can always reach me at rep.mike.freiberg@house.mn. Please follow me on my Facebook page for further updates and invite your friends and family to do so as well. Thank you for the honor of representing you at the Capitol. Sincerely, Mike Freiberg State Representative  |