Dear Lakeville Neighbors,
Thank You!
I wanted to thank you for your questions, comments, and suggestions over the past two years. Hearing from you helps me better represent all the views of Lakeville. I’m proud to be a voice for such a great city, and am daily humbled by this honor. I worked across the aisle with members of both chambers to deliver on the promises I made to serve you and your family. Roughly half of the bills I authored and co-authored had bipartisan support.
As a member of the Property Tax and Local Government Finance Division, Tax Committee, and Transportation Policy and Finance Committee, my colleagues and I worked to provide real solutions to the problems people face in Lakeville and throughout Minnesota – without partisan politicking. I have worked diligently to better invest in Minnesota’s future and serve you in a way that highlights the respect residents in our district have for one another. Thank you for this privilege.
Looking Back
Over the last two years, I’ve worked to improve our area and our state as a whole. Due to a 60-day, post-session/pre-campaign rule, I will be unable to send out email updates for the next couple months. However, looking back, it’s important to share some of the work I am personally proud of.
We passed a two-year budget that invests in education for our learners at a level higher than the past years while enacting policy changes that help school districts place a great teacher in every classroom. For Minnesota schools, students and educators, there were a number of items to address our state's growing teacher shortage, improve staff safety, and build on successful programs aimed at closing the achievement gap.
Earlier this year, I partnered with the Dakota County Community Development Agency to pass a housing bill into law to give some of our residents more of a voice on the CDA housing board. The bill added a spot on the board for a CDA housing resident to help advise the board. This may seem like a small change, but it can have a big impact for some of our neighbors.
Another bill that was signed into law helps small businesses become ADA (Americans with Disability Act) compliant without the threat of frivolous lawsuits from predatory lawyers. I co-authored this bill, and am proud to help our local businesses become accessible to people of all abilities without burdensome, threatening, and expensive lawsuits.
I authored a major bill to help fund our growing transportation needs by dedicating existing motor vehicle lease taxes to be put toward transportation in the metro area. We passed and included this in our House plan. Work still needs to be done to gain Senate support, so this hasn’t yet become law. I’m continuing to fight for more road and bridge funding without raising taxes on Minnesota families!
I also co-authored a bill that was signed into law that establishes the Sunday before Memorial Day as “Military Spouses and Family Day” in Minnesota. Not only do we appreciate and honor those who serve in the Armed Forces, but we should also recognize the sacrifice military families make for our state and country.
Please Contact Me
There is more to do to provide effective, fiscally responsible, better government. I will continue to push for more meaningful tax relief, sustainable road and bridge funding, and to continue providing world-class education for our students.
Connecting with so many of you earlier this month during Pan-O-Prog Week was fantastic. What a great event for Lakeville. I look forward to spending more time in Lakeville; continuing to meet with you this summer and fall. Although I can’t send more updates, I hope you will still contact my office. I’m always available to assist you and your family; please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Have a great remainder of summer and keep working with me to make Lakeville stronger!
Jon Koznick
State Representative, Lakeville, 58A