Dear Neighbors,
I hope you have been enjoying your Spring. At the Capitol, we are in the midst of budget bill season where we are passing budgets on various topics. Once the House and Senate pass our respective bills, we’ll meet in joint “conference” committees to determine the final budgets we’ll send to the Governor for his signature.
House Unanimously Approves Two More Of My Bills.
The House passed my bill implementing the Department of Corrections Policy proposals, HF 1355. This bill makes important changes to our corrections system which will improve outcomes across the board. I was proud to work with the Department of Corrections to bring forward these critical changes and ensure it received unanimous bipartisan support. My bill implementing Department of Public Safety proposals, HF 1510, also passed with unanimous bipartisan support. This bill provides protections to crime victims, among other needed agency updates. I have passed four bills off the House floor so far this year with 100% support.
House Passes K-12 Education Bill
We recently passed our education budget plan to deliver transformational investments to support our students and school staff as well as stabilize our public school funding. This bill provides mental health and other supports to students through the use of social workers, counselors, psychologists and nurses. One of my provisions in the bill creates a mental health lead at the Department of Education to help districts, teachers, and families develop best practices to student mental health and suicide prevention. The bill also contains comprehensive funding for literacy and expands career and technical education opportunities.
I had the pleasure of meeting recently with a group of students from the district who were visiting for a Capitol tour.
Additional Budget Bills
The House has passed many other budget bills, and I’ll highlight a couple more here. With evictions skyrocketing, homelessness increasing, home ownership gaps widening, and a severe shortage of affordable homes to rent or own, our Housing budget bill contains the largest housing investment in state history. The House Environment, Natural Resources, Climate and Energy Budget Bill addresses current environmental threats and invests in a clean future. The House Transportation Budget Bill addresses our crumbling infrastructure.
Protecting Our Democracy
In 2022, with democracy squarely on the ballot, Minnesotans of every race, generation, region, and background showed up to participate in democracy and to protect it. The Democracy for the People Act expands voter participation and limits the influence of dark money in our elections. These are just a few of the policies that will help us ensure that every Minnesotan has the freedom to vote and that power is firmly in the hands of the people.
Pollinator Habitat
Residential yards have huge potential as pollinator habitat. Converting a portion of a turf grass lawn to a pollinator planting can be intimidating yet incredibly fruitful. As we head into prime planting season I encourage you to check out these resources to begin your pollinator journey. These resources are being developed as part of the Lawns to Legumes program, which will encourage planting residential lawns with native vegetation and pollinator friendly flowers and legumes to protect a diversity of pollinators.
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