Thursday, January 31, 2019
I hope you're staying warm and helping your neighbors stay safe. Hang in there - we're almost through the worst of this weather.
Town Hall Update
We are postponing our town hall due to unsafe weather conditions. I will let you know as soon as we have a new date and time. I'm sorry for any inconvenience, but my first priority is making sure our community is staying safe. I want to hear about your ideas and concerns and look forward to rescheduling this meeting.
Hearing
On Wednesday my bill (H.F. 167) improving public health by enforcing punishment for lead polluters received its first public hearing. This bill is about environmental justice - the communities most impacted by pollution are also the most vulnerable and least empowered to fight back against the large corporations that cause unsafe air and water.
Rep. Lee with a testifier for H.F. 167
Elections
A bill that I co-authored received a hearing on Wednesday - H.F. 94 would get rid of the limit on the number of voters an individual can assist in filling out ballots. Language barriers should not prevent someone from casting a ballot. We need to make voting more accessible for disabled individuals and for citizens who face a language barrier.
Gender Violence Prevention Week
It is Gender Violence Prevention Week at the Capitol. The Public Safety & Criminal Justice Reform Committee held hearings on important bills related to sexual assault and gender-based violence, including providing training for law enforcement on investigations of sexual assault, ending the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic, repeal of the "Marital rape" exception, and many others as part of a bipartisan effort to end gender-based violence.
We will resume our normal Friday legislative update next week, but I wanted to get the word out about our postponed town hall. As always, contact me with any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas on any legislative topic. Also, I am available during select hours on Monday and Friday mornings most weeks for in-district meetings, if Northside residents aren’t able to make it to the Capitol. If you would like to send me a message or set up an in-district meeting, you can reach me by phone at 651-296-4262 or by email at rep.fue.lee@house.mn. I look forward to hearing from you!