Emergency Medical Services Taskforce Hearing in MankatoI want to thank the community members and stakeholders who attended the EMS Taskforce hearing this week. On Monday, the Legislative Task Force on Emergency Medical Services held a public listening session at the Mayo Clinic Event Center in Mankato. This bipartisan legislative task force was established during the 2023 session to tackle EMS staffing and resource issues across Minnesota, and I am honored to have been appointed by Speaker Hortman to serve on the taskforce Folks in Greater Minnesota are no strangers to troubles facing Emergency Medical Services. All Minnesotans should be able to call for and receive help when facing an emergency, and it’s vital that we support the resources our first-responders need to recruit personnel, maintain programming, and grow services.  Thank You for a Great Town Hall!I want to sincerely thank everyone who came out to this month’s town hall meeting. I always enjoy meeting new neighbors, hearing about the issues that matter to you, and sharing great news about the effects our work has had on the community. Keep your eyes peeled for another town hall in the coming months!  Principal Brand – One Day Only! I had a wonderful time as “Principal for the day” last week! I accompanied Principal Darin Doherty at North Elementary during his walk-throughs in the lunch room and classrooms, and also had the chance to meet the North Student Council members. I was asked to end the student assembly by challenging attendees to remembering the importance of perseverance throughout the rest of the school year.  Childcare BarriersAre you having difficulties accessing childcare in Nicollet County-Kasota-Mankato-North Mankato area? Do you travel a great distance each day to pick up & drop off? Is it becoming unaffordable? Are you a business owner that is finding a lack of childcare a barrier to retaining or hiring new employees? As your State Representative, I would like to know more! There are potential bills in the works for the upcoming session, but I need to know more before the session starts on February 12th. Please email me your childcare challenges at rep.jeff.brand@house.mn.gov so we can discuss.  Major Investments in the Greater Mankato AreaEarlier this month, I was invited to South Central College to speak at an event that honored ten local organizations who have made significant financial contributions to the college. Most recently, River's Edge Hospital & Clinic contributed $644,000 for renovations to provide surgical technology lab space. The generosity of our Greater Mankato community is outstanding and will make our community stronger for many years to come. Other local organizations that were recognized yesterday included Jones Metal Inc., Mankato Area Foundation, Bolton & Menk, Inc., Crystal Valley Cooperative, Oak Terrace Assisted Living Of North Mankato and Mankato Clinic. I’m authoring a bonding request for $6 million to provide classroom renovations to match these contributions so that we can continue to produce professionals in the industries of dental assisting, EMS, surgery technicians, nursing assistants, agribusiness, GIS and welders.  |