Legislative Update – September 20, 2023Dear Neighbors, It has been a busy summer sharing our wins from the session and hearing from our community about what the legislature should address next year! Many laws passed by the legislature this session had an effective date of July 1 or August 1. House Nonpartisan Staff has put together a document highlighting some of the major laws that went into effect on July 1 and August 1. Investing in Student’s EducationWith a new school year underway, I wanted to take a moment to highlight all the great things we passed for our kids in this year’s Education Budget! I was proud to vote for our bill making sure all students are healthy and fed, investing in literacy programs, and increasing Pre-K options, Happy back to school for all of our Maple Grove, Osseo, and Wayzata students! We see a bright future!  Volunteering at the State FairThis year I was able to take multiple shifts volunteering at the State Fair at our nonpartisan House Public Information booth, where visitors get to chat with Representatives and share their views through a poll on several bills the legislature might consider.  The annual poll is an informal, unscientific survey of issues discussed in prior legislative sessions that may again be topics of discussion in 2024. This year’s poll was taken by 8,144 fairgoers, up from 2022 when 7,110 people took the poll. You can see the questions and the results here. I love visiting the fair and hope that you were also able to get out and enjoy the warm summer weather! Celebrations, Site Visits, and Groundbreakings!I kicked off India Day in Minnesota with Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, and Dean Phillips at the Hindu Temple in Maple Grove, celebrating the rich vibrant contributions that Indian culture shares with all of our friends and neighbors. I was also proud as always to attend National Night Out in Maple Grove and meet with our officers, city officials, and more.  Earlier this summer I visited Providence Place Nursing Home in Minneapolis, talking to care providers and experts in how we can support the work they do. I also attended the kick-off in the final phase of the Highway 610 project, which I worked on alongside both our federal and local partners and I attended the opening of Gleason Fields alongside County Commissioner Kevin Anderson.  I also traveled to Indianapolis to present my bill protecting kids' online data privacy to the National Convention of State Legislators and met with representatives across the country who want to use our bill as a model! Later this month I will visit Washington DC as part of a group of legislators and industry experts on AI meeting to work on guardrails for data privacy for all states. |