Dear Neighbors,
I hope everyone is staying safe and warm. We’re beginning our fifth week here at the Minnesota House of Representatives, and there are a few important topics that I’d like to discuss with you in my first newsletter as your State Representative. I’ll be sending these out regularly during the legislative session, and I hope you use them to keep yourselves informed and reach out to me with your questions and comments regarding our work here in St. Paul.
Committees
I am extremely proud and honored to announce that for the 2019-20 legislative sessions, I will serve as the Vice Chair of the House Agriculture Committee. I will also be serving on the House Labor, Taxes, Jobs, and Vets & Military committees. I have also been appointed to the Legislative Water Commission. These appointments give us a great opportunity to work on issues important to our district, and I am excited to partner with my fellow legislators to strengthen Minnesota. Committees meet Monday through Thursday here in St. Paul, and you can find out more about these and other committees here.
I had the honor to chair the House agriculture committee in our third week as we heard testimony on the need for more robust awareness access to mental health care in rural Minnesota, especially for our farmers. We heard many of our fellow Minnesotans share their incredibly touching and tragic stories, but it’s through their experiences that this incredible need for support for our farming neighbors has been brought to the forefront. You can watch this and other committee hearings on the House Information YouTube page.
Legislation
We’ve been working hard to address ways we can improve our community back home and Minnesota as a whole, and there are several pieces of legislation (House Files, or HF) I’ve authored in the last week that I think can do just that. Just a few days ago I introduced HF 422 and HF 423, both of which establish programs aimed at increasing the access to sustainable child care in Greater Minnesota. I’ll be sure to keep you updated as these pieces of legislation move through the legislative process. For more information on legislation I’m authoring or co-authoring you can check out my Minnesota House of Representatives webpage.
Another bill that I chief-authored that is a big deal for our area is HF 538, which funds four lanes of highway from Nicollet to New Ulm. This critically important piece of legislation is something that I’ve heard from a lot of people up and down the corridor during the election, and I’m working in a bipartisan fashion to get this done now. There is a hearing scheduled for March 8th in which the House Transportation Committee will be hearing the bill. If you’d like to testify in favor, please call my office at (651) 296-8634.
A special shout-out to Sister Gladys and many others from School Sisters of Notre Dame and Pastor Andrew Davis from Union Presbyterian Church who contacted me to voice their support of HF 5, which deals with needed time off from work, whether it be for paid family or sick leave. As a member of the House Labor Committee, I look forward to hearing this bill and the testimony that comes with it!
Keep In Touch!
With session underway, I want to hear from you. You can reach me at (651) 296-8634, or at rep.jeff.brand@house.mn if you ever need anything. My office in St. Paul is Room 501 in the State Office Building. Cooperation and collaboration are important to me, and I’m excited about what we’ll be able to accomplish when we work together.
Sincerely,
Jeff Brand
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