Dear neighbors,
The pace of the legislative session is steadily increasing. I’ve mentioned just a couple highlights below. For more, please consider joining me at Sunday’s Chat with Dave. You can also use one of the Legislature’s many tools for following events at the Capitol. Details below.
Chat with Dave - This Sunday
Please join me this Sunday afternoon, February 10, for the next “Chat with Dave,” an informal conversation with neighbors. We’ll meet from 1:30 to 3:00pm in the Village View Room at the Highland Park Community Center, 1978 Ford Pkwy, St. Paul, MN 55116. Hope to see you there!
Support for Great Start for All Minnesota Children Act
I’m delighted to let you know that support is building for House File 1, the Great Start for All Minnesota Children Act, a bill coming out of the early childhood committee which I chair. A letter from nearly 30 organizations supporting HF 1 is available here. And you can watch a video with my colleague Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn discussing the letter and proposal here. The video had some “early childhood guests” in the background!
As discussed in this op-ed by constituent Dane Smith (available here), there’s an emerging bipartisan commitment to getting every child off to a great start in life. Please show your support with the hashtag #GreatStartMN.
Labor Trafficking
Last week, I spoke at a press conference to announce the release of new guidelines to identify and intervene in situations of labor trafficking. These parallel the guidelines against sex trafficking that I helped to develop in my work as a prosecutor and director of training and protocol development for the statewide Safe Harbor system. Read about the new guidelines in this article by the Star Tribune.
Action on Climate Change
One of the most exciting changes this legislative session is the new Energy and Climate Finance and Policy Division - the first legislative committee in Minnesota to include the word “climate” in its name. It’s clear that we’re already experiencing large changes; Minnesota is one of the fastest-warming states in the country. We must act now, for ourselves and for future generations. I’m proud to be a co-author of H.F. 700, legislation that would transition our state away from power sources that rely on fossil fuels to clean energy alternatives like wind and solar. Information on committee meetings is available here.
Minnesota Values Podcast
Over the last two years, my House DFL colleagues and I conducted a series of statewide listening sessions called the Minnesota Values Project. This helped to inform our first bills for the 2019 session, including HF 1 (discussed above). Now we’ve launched the Minnesota Values Podcast! It takes listeners behind the scenes at the Capitol, for a conversation about how we are putting Minnesotans' values into action. Visit https://soundcloud.com/mnvaluespod to subscribe.
Ways to Get Involved
The policymaking process benefits when Minnesotans get involved! You can watch or listen to committee hearings and access meeting schedules and minutes at www.house.mn/committees. There’s also an email sign up form for committee news and updates. If you’re interested in specific bills, use the MyBills Tracker at www.leg.state.mn.us/mybills to follow them. #EverybodyIn
Thank you for the honor of serving our community.
Dave Pinto
State Representative, District 64B
321 State Office Building
(651) 296-4199
www.house.leg.state.mn.us/64b
Subscribe to my email updates: www.house.leg.state.mn.us/64b
Follow my office on Facebook: facebook.com/repdavepinto