Friends and neighbors,
Typical March in Minnesota continues, and I am certainly ready for spring. At this rate, we might even break into the top 5 snowiest winters in Minnesota history! Here’s to hoping warmer weather is on its way.
One great thing about March is it's Women's History Month! Let’s use this month to remember and honor all of the amazing women who paved the way for us. There is still a lot of work we need to do to stand up for equal rights in Minnesota and I am committed to pursuing this important work at the Capitol.
Update on the PFAS Prevention Package
As you may already know from previous updates, several pieces of legislation to ban PFAS in Minnesota are making their way through committee hearings. The PFAS Prevention package includes bills to eliminate PFAS from juvenile products made for kids under 12, cookware, and more.
Polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, known as “PFAS” or “P-F-A's,” are cancer-causing “forever chemicals” that have been found in ground water all over the state. They’re also found in products we use every day, including the packaging our food comes in.
You and I have detectable amounts of PFAS in our bodies right now.
The good news is there is a path forward – we do have a way to clean up this mess, but it’s expensive. And the longer we wait to stop contamination, the higher the bill will get for taxpayers.
It’s time to stop letting companies poison our families and then foot us with the bill. And its long past time we stop letting them take lives.
The PFAS Prevention package will hold manufacturers accountable for their direct impacts on the community and will help to shut off the faucet on PFAS so we can focus on cleanup.
Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act
Yesterday, the Minnesota House unanimously passed the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act, protecting Indigenous children and ensuring they continue to have a lifeline to their culture.
There’s a dark, ugly history around separating children from their tribal nations, and this legislation is an important part of having honest, educational conversations about the experiences of Indigenous people. The erasure of Indigenous people and Tribal Nations isn’t only in our past; it is firmly in our present.
You can read more about this bill, which is now on its way to Governor Walz’s desk, here.
Stay in Touch
As always, I want to hear from you. Get in touch by calling 651-296-8634 to reach me, or email rep.jeff.brand@house.mn.gov. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram for the latest.
Stay warm out there.
In solidarity,
Representative Jeff Brand
Minnesota House of Representatives