Dear neighbors,
Beginning this week, I am shaking up my regular email update. Instead of long blocks of text in a drab and antiquated template, my new updates will be simple:
Push. Build. Resist.
I'll tell you about one proactive legislative priority I would like to push, one way I am building bridges between Minnesotans, and one way I am resisting any policies or tactics meant to divide us.
PUSH.
In case you missed it, I recently published an editorial in the Budgeteer about the MinnesotaCare Buy-In. We have an incredible opportunity in Minnesota to pass a public health insurance option and give Minnesotans a new affordable choice on the individual market.
I've heard from so many Minnesotans without insurance through their employers who are still struggling to pay their health insurance premiums. We passed short-term premium relief for many of these consumers earlier this year, but we can and must do more.
So let's be bold. Let's pass a public option (HF 92) and make Minnesota a national leader in delivering affordable care.
BUILD.
On Saturday, I was inspired by the incredible turnout at our listening session in Duluth. If we simply take the time to listen to one another, we will find a strength in community that can tackle Minnesota's toughest problems.
We talked about everything from college affordability to women's health care to earned sick and safe time to partisan redistricting and more. I returned to the State Capitol reinvigorated to build a better future for our families, and I could not be prouder to bring the voices of Duluth to the state legislature.
Town halls and listening sessions are a great way to make sure your voice is heard. But if you have time or feel particularly passionate about a particular topic, I would encourage you to also make the trip to St. Paul and talk to me and other legislators in person. Watch my video below for a sneak peak of what you might see on your visit:
RESIST.
As a state legislator, I work every day to pass legislation that will lift up Minnesota families and build bridges between our communities. But part of my job description is also resisting attacks on our communities. This week I want to highlight the damage partisan redistricting would do to our communities.
House Republicans have introduced HF 314, which would mandate that politicians in the state legislature draw the Congressional and state legislative district lines after the 2020 census. Their intent is transparent: Republicans, who already control the state house and state senate, are hoping they can win the Governor's race next year and then ram through a hyper partisan legislative map that will lock in their majorities for the next decade.
This tactic will allow a single political party to grab power in Minnesota even if they don't have a majority of the votes. That's not what democracy looks like, and it robs the people of Minnesota of their voice. On this, you can count on me to resist.
But there's an alternative: HF 246, authored by Duluth's own Rep. Jennifer Schultz, would take redistricting out of the hands of politicians and put it into the hands of a nonpartisan redistricting board. Arizona and California already draw their lines this way, and many other states are currently considering it. I much prefer this option as a way of holding politicians accountable to the voice of the people.
Rep. Liz Olson
221 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155