 Friends and neighbors, Last week, I took up the gavel as (co-)Chair of the Children and Families Committee for the first time!  While my co-Chair and I won’t see eye to eye on every proposal, we both care deeply about making life better for Minnesotans and know that partnership, not partisanship, gets us closer to that goal. I am proud to reintroduce the Great Start Affordability Program again this week and have it heard in committee. One piece of the puzzle I’m excited about that will help support our child care providers is an initiative to make advance state subsidy payments to providers instead of retroactive payments. By introducing an electronic attendance monitoring system, we will be able to make direct payments to child care facilities on an ongoing basis rather than making them float their bottom line and wait for payment months after care is provided. This would ensure our child care providers can worry less about keeping the lights on, and focus more on our kids. With important services like the Federal Child Care Development Block Grant, SNAP, and TANF funding under threat nationally, it’s more important than ever that Minnesota step up and ensure our children and families have the support and resources necessary to ensure every child gets the Great Start they deserve. We held a hearing in the Ways and Means committee about the potential impact of federal funding cuts on our state budget, and I echoed these concerns. You can watch a brief video of my remarks here.  Working for Minnesotans This week on the Floor, we continued to pass bipartisan legislation now that sole Republican control of the House has come to an end. On Monday, we unanimously passed a bill that would close insurance loopholes that benefit the ultra rich at the expense of working families. This will help ensure that remaining funds in bankruptcy go to Minnesotans who depend on those dollars. I’m hopeful that we can collectively focus on legislation that furthers the goal of supporting all Minnesotans as we move through the rest of the legislative session. Eid Mubarak! Well wishes to everyone celebrating Eid this season. I attended the 3rd annual City of Eden Prairie Iftar dinner last week and had the chance to connect with community leaders and constituents. Events like this both highlight the diversity of our community and bring us closer together.  Real ID Taking Effect in May (for real this time!) Beginning May 7, 2025, Minnesotans 18 years of age or older will not be able to use their standard driver's license or identification card to board domestic flights or enter certain federal facilities. Instead, they will need one of three options: - Minnesota REAL ID driver's license or identification card.
- Minnesota Enhanced driver's license or identification card.
- Other federally-approved forms of identification. These include:
- U.S. passport or passport card
- Foreign government-issued passport
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- Federally recognized, tribal-issued photo ID
- U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
If you are not sure which license type is right for you, check out the Driver Vehicle Services’ website here. Keep in TouchUnfortunately, due to technological constraints, replies to this newsletter won’t reach my email account.?? To share your input or ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance, please feel free to reach out email at rep.carlie.kotyza-witthuhn@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-7449. You can contact my new Legislative Assistant, Caleb, at 651-297-7025 or via email at caleb.rohrer@house.mn.gov. It is an honor and a privilege to represent you at the Capitol.?? All my best,?? ? Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn? |