Dear Neighbors,
I’m Wishing everyone a blessed and joyful Ramadan! May this month be filled with peace, happiness, and spiritual growth for all. Ramadan Kareem!
Impound Reform
Last week the House unanimously passed my bill to allow people who are homeless or living out of their car to retrieve important materials from their car if it is impounded. It also allows anyone to retrieve medication and identification out of an impounded car. While a relatively small bill, for those who are affected this could be a life changing remedy. Watch my presentation on this bill here. This is the second bill of mine to pass unanimously off the House floor this year.
Bills in Committee
As we are nearing our committee deadlines, several of my bills continue to work their way through the process. These include bills related to the following: student mental health, improved response time for testing of rape kits, transit options for people with disabilities, increased penalties for possession of unlawful devices that essentially create machine guns, and bond funding for the Lake Johanna Fire Department.
Emergency Rental Assistance
The legislature is continuing our focus on improving access to housing. Last Thursday, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed House File 1440, which adds $50 million for emergency rental assistance to the state’s Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program to help prevent homelessness. The Senate passed the same bill today, it will now head to the Governor's desk for his signature!
Through much of the pandemic, federal rental assistance allowed many Minnesotans to maintain housing stability. Most of those funds dried up in January of 2022, but the challenges facing low-income families did not. Minnesota experienced a skyrocketing eviction rate last year with more than 20,000 filed. Many counties have seen 100% increases in eviction filings over pre-pandemic levels.
Stay In Touch
Please feel free to contact me directly with your viewpoints or if I can be of assistance. My email is rep.kelly.moller@house.mn.gov and my phone number is 651-296-0141. You can learn about bills that have been introduced here and keep track of the bills I’ve authored here. If you have neighbors, friends, or family who you think would find these updates valuable, please share this with them; they can subscribe here. I also encourage you to follow me on Facebook.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.
Sincerely,
Kelly Moller
State Representative