Dear neighbors,
It’s been another busy week here in St. Paul! Thank you to everyone who has come to visit me at the Capitol recently. It’s helpful to meet face-to-face to learn about the issues that you care about.
**RESCHEDULED**District 42B Town Hall
Due to a conflict with Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s town hall meeting this Saturday, the District 42B Town Hall with Sen. Isaacson has been rescheduled. There is a lot going on at the federal level and we want to make sure residents have an opportunity to attend both events if they so choose.
Updated details are below:
When: Saturday, March 2 at 10am
Where: Shoreview City Hall – Council Chambers, 4600 Victoria Street N
What: Legislative updates from Rep. Becker-Finn and Sen. Isaacson, and opportunity for constituents to ask questions
Congressional Town Hall info here.
Public Meeting Regarding Air Pollution from Water Gremlin
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has scheduled two public meetings regarding their ongoing investigation of chemical emissions in our community. Affected cities include Gem Lake, White Bear Township, and White Bear Lake.
When: Thursday, February 21 and Thursday, March 7 from 6:30 to 9pm
Where: North Campus High School, 5045 Division Avenue, White Bear Lake, MN 55110
My colleague Rep. Ami Wazlawik will stream the first meeting on Facebook Live for those who are unable to attend. If you have questions you’d like answered, please comment on her Facebook post. We’ll do our best to get your questions addressed during the meeting.
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Comprehensive Plan
Last week, I stood with deer hunters from across the state to announce a comprehensive plan to address CWD this legislative session. The spread of CWD is a threat to Minnesota wildlife, hunting traditions, small businesses who rely on revenue from deer hunting, and potentially human public health.
The plan would increase requirements to reduce contact between captive and wild deer, give captive deer businesses the opportunity to leave the industry, improve responses to outbreaks, and invest in long-term disease control and prevention. We also stressed the need to protect the wild deer herd in order to uphold our Constitutional right to hunt in Minnesota.
You can view more details on the bills that make up this plan here or watch the press conference here. You can also read stories from the Star Tribune, MinnPost, and Pioneer Press.
Veterans Suicide Awareness Day
Veterans are at an elevated risk for suicide, and government at many levels could be doing more to address the problem. I am the chief author of HF 586 to establish an annual Veterans Suicide Awareness Day in Minnesota, knowing that this is just the first step in addressing this issue. Last week I presented the bill for the first time and we heard powerful testimony from the sister of a veteran who is impacted by this issue. You can read part of her testimony and more about the bill here.
I also encourage you to take a few minutes to read the powerful story “The Parking Lot Suicides.” We owe more to our veterans and their families and I hope we can have more meaningful conversations about solutions in the coming months.
Free Tax Help Now Available
Tax filing season has started, and there are more than 200 free tax preparation sites across the state to help you file. You may qualify to receive assistance if you’re age 60 or older, a person with a disability, speak limited or no English, or have an annual income less than $55,000. Visit the Minnesota Department of Revenue website to find free tax preparation sites near you.
Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. It’s an honor to represent our community at the Capitol.
Sincerely,
Jamie Becker-Finn