Neighbors, Thank you to everyone who attended our town hall on Saturday. I appreciate the effort to make your voice heard during this important time. If you weren’t able to attend, you can watch the town hall here. Several Budget Bills Pass the HouseWe have made some real progress on our state budget. This week alone, we passed the Environment & Climate, Veterans, State Government and Elections, Transportation and Housing, Agriculture, Education and Children and Families budgets. These consequential budget bills will positively impact Minnesotans not only in the short term, but for years ahead. The Education budget is the measure in which I am most directly involved. As chair of the Education Policy Committee, I had a front row seat to hear from our students, educators, and others as we crafted the bill. This sustaining education budget plan delivers transformational investments to support our students and school staff as well as stabilize our public school funding. The spreadsheet and bill language are available online. The bill provides a per-pupil increase in the general education formula and links the formula to inflation in all future years to help school districts have more predictability in their financial outlooks. This budget bill also reduces the Special Education cross-subsidy by nearly half, includes multiple provisions to ensure students are well-prepared for life after graduation by adding a personal finance course requirement for high school completion, addresses teacher and school staff shortages, and more. You can read more about our plan in my news release here.  My colleagues and I addressed the media prior to the House floor debate Video of all hearings and floor votes are available on House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel. Designating Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial HighwayToday, the Minnesota House designated a stretch of Highway 5 in Chanhassen the “Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway.” The section of road goes through part of my district, and I was happy to co-author this bill with neighboring representative Lucy Rehm.  State of the StateThis week, Governor Walz delivered his State of the State address. His remarks were full of optimism and hope for the future. We have all accomplished so much together, and it was an honor to hear his speech in person. You can view the full address here.  Sen. Cwodzinski, Rep. Pryor, Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn National Prescription Drug Takeback Day-April 22Tomorrow, Saturday, April 22 is the 2023 National Prescription Drug Takeback Day. If you are optimistic about spring and have started your spring cleaning, now is a good time to go through old or expired prescription drugs and dispose of them safely. You can search for a drop off location near you here.  MedicaidDuring the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, annual renewals for our public health programs – MinnesotaCare and Medicaid – paused. On May 11, the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency is ending and those on MinnesotaCare or Medicaid will need to update their information to determine their ongoing eligibility. If someone is no longer eligible for coverage under Medicaid, they should be able to get low-cost health insurance through the federal and state insurance marketplaces. You can watch a short video here for more information.  Stay connected with the legislatureThe Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services offers nonpartisan recaps of high-profile bills, committee hearings, and floor sessions with their Session Daily publication. Subscribe to receive these here. To track bills of interest through the legislative process, I encourage you to utilize the MyBills feature on the Minnesota House of Representatives’ website. Please continue to reach out with any input, ideas, or feedback about the issues important to you. I value hearing from you, so please don’t hesitate to call or email me any time. You can also connect with me on Facebook here. It’s an honor to represent you at the State Capitol. Sincerely, Laurie Pryor State Representative |