Dear Granite City Neighbors, It was a shorter legislative week for the Passover break, which meant I got to spend more time in St. Cloud talking to neighbors about the issues they care about ahead of the final weeks of the legislative session. The highlight was my “Donuts with Dan” event on Monday. Once again we had strong turnout, thoughtful conversations, and delicious donuts. Thanks again to Carpenters Union Local 930 for hosting us! It was great to hear from them and talk about the local infrastructure projects we’ve funded and are fighting for at the legislature. Here’s a quick update covering our short week in St. Paul: More Policy Proposals Pass the HouseWhile we continue to work on policy and supplemental bills that are the culmination of committee work this year, there are also some important stand-alone bills that we’ve been working on too, like our efforts to responsibly legalize adult-use cannabis and provide support for Minnesota’s renters. Last year, we legalized adult-use cannabis. However, buying cannabis legally at a licensed retail business in the state is not set to begin until early next year. The Cannabis Policy bill we passed this session is meant to expedite the process of setting up a good, legitimate marketplace for cannabis to displace that illicit marketplace we currently have. You can read more about what the bill contains here. We also passed a strong Tenants’ Rights Policy Bill, which includes provisions to safeguard tenants’ right to organize, protect tenant survivors of domestic violence, clarify tenants’ rights to emergency services, prohibit rental discrimination based on public assistance, and more. More details in the bill are included here The House Passed My Workers Compensation Bill 129-0As a legislative liaison for the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council, I was once again honored to carry the bill that contained the council’s recommendations for updating state law this year - and once again it passed unanimously in the House, this time on a 129-0 vote! |