Dear Neighbors,

The new season of the Minnesota Values Podcast is here! My co-host Rep. Jamie Long and I are joined by Rep. Mahmoud Noor of Minneapolis, the chair of the House Workforce and Business Development Finance and Policy Committee, to discuss his economic security legislation aimed at helping Minnesotans hurt most by the pandemic. Listen online here or on your favorite podcast app.

Vaccine Connector

This week, the state launched a new Vaccine Connector to let Minnesotans know when it’s their turn to receive a shot. The tool is free and open to everyone, regardless of your current eligibility status. When you are eligible, the Vaccine Connector will alert you of your eligibility, connect you to resources to schedule a vaccine appointment, and notify you if there are vaccine opportunities in your area. Learn more and sign up here.

Helping Small Businesses Succeed

Minnesota is home to a booming craft beer industry, not to mention a growing number of craft distilleries, farm wineries, and cideries. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted their operations, not to mention the bars and restaurants that serve these products that have been struggling, too.

This week, I joined the Minnesota Craft Beverage Council to announce bipartisan legislation to update many of our liquor laws which have largely remained unchanged since prohibition ended. Our legislation would:

?  Allow bars and restaurants to sell beer, wine, and cocktails to-go by making temporary to-go allowances permanent

?  Eliminate Minnesota’s growler cap on craft breweries & allow breweries to sell a limited amount of 4/6 packs along with crowlers/growlers from the taproom

?  Allow distilleries to sell alcohol to-go in full-sized bottles

?  Allow self-distribution for cideries and brewpubs

?  Retool and align laws on producer taxes and label registration fees

?  Allow liquor stores, bars, and restaurants to fill growlers to-go

Giving these businesses the opportunity to grow will aid in our overall economic recovery. I’m excited to support these entrepreneurs while helping move our liquor laws into the 21st century.

Name a Snowplow!

In December, the Minnesota Department of Transportation asked folks to submit their ideas to name one of the snowplows in its fleet. After accepting submissions from members of the public, MnDOT has now narrowed the list of possibilities to 50 finalists. It’s your turn to vote for your favorite! Voting is open until February 26. Also, thank you to our dedicated public employees who drive MnDOT, county, and city snowplows, jumping into action and working long hours to keep all of us safe on the roads.

Please reach out to me with your input, ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance. It’s an honor to represent you.

Sincerely,

Liz Olson
State Representative