Dear Neighbors,
Despite the chaos at the federal level I’ve been hard at work in St. Paul making sure our shared values are being represented at the Capitol. Fighting for what’s right is more important than ever, and I refuse to let a destructive president tear down the amazing things we’ve built in Minnesota. Here is some of what’s happened over the past couple of weeks.
Upcoming Town Hall
I hope you can join Rep. Elkins, Sen. Mann and me for our March 18 Town Hall, starting at 6:30 pm at the Edina Community Lutheran Church! We’ll be joined by Chief Deputy Attorney General, John Keller and we’ll go over everything affecting our state and the work we’re doing to maintain our priorities and shared values!
Civility Caucus
We had a great Civility Caucus social hour at Burger Moe’s recently, with Republican and DFL senators and representatives joining in the fun! While we often find ourselves in disagreement in moments of high tension, it's a great exercise to come together to build bridges in the search of finding common solutions to the issues facing our state.
Working on Affordable Housing
I attended a great press conference on a bipartisan “missing middle” housing bill. This legislation would ease some zoning rules so that our cities can build more housing. Our restrictive zoning laws have a detrimental effect on affordability which leads to a whole lot of downstream issues. I will continue to work on this bipartisan legislation to make housing more affordable for everyone!
On a similar note, I also met with the Bloomington Housing and Redevelopment Authority. They do great work and have been an integral factor in allowing Bloomington to continue to grow and thrive!
Massage Therapy Licensing
Kare 11 recently ran a good segment on the lack of oversight in massage therapy licensing. I am a co-author of HF 362 which increases oversight of this industry. This is strongly supported by our city government because of enforcement concerns around sex trafficking. Northwest Health Sciences University, which I visited recently, is the state’s premier provider of massage therapy training and a great example of how to do this correctly.
Democrats Defeat Shoot First Bill
Last week I helped to vote down HF 13, Republicans’ Shoot First bill which would remove Minnesota’s long-standing duty to retreat to prevent the escalation of violence. If passed, this would lead to even more gun violence victims and more loss of life.
Currently, 27 states have Shoot First laws, and every one of them has a higher rate of gun deaths than Minnesota, with the average rate of gun deaths being more than twice Minnesota’s. Shoot First laws are also associated with heavy racial bias. A study in Florida found that white shooters killing Black victims is deemed justifiable five times more frequently than when the situation is reversed.
Over the past two years, House DFLers took action to reduce gun violence by requiring criminal background checks and creating Extreme Risk Protection Orders. These policies are already making a difference. In fact, Minnesota has one of the lowest firearm mortality rates in the US, in large part to our sensible and safety centered gun violence prevention laws.
Trump Cuts put Minnesota’s Budget at Risk
Last week a new state economic forecast confirmed that Donald Trump’s policies are already moving Minnesota’s economy and state budget in the wrong direction and making life more expensive for hardworking Minnesotans.
Last November, the state budget forecast showed a $3.7 billion surplus over the current budget cycle, a $616 million positive balance in the upcoming biennium, and our highest budget reserve fund ever–all due to responsible DFL governance. But as of today, Minnesota’s projected positive balance has shrunk to $456 million.
Instead of bringing down prices as they promised on the campaign trail, Trump and Republicans in Congress are on the verge of enacting a sweeping tax cut for corporations and the ultra-wealthy, and they’re going to pay for it by slashing federal investments in health care for children, families, seniors, and people with disabilities. This will have dire consequences for the people of Minnesota and our state budget.
This latest budget forecast means that the Legislature must be laser-focused on a state budget that helps working and middle-class Minnesotans, not corporations and billionaires who are doing better than ever.
As your representative, I’m committed to fighting for an economy where everyone can get ahead. I will continue to oppose Republican bills to lower taxes for the rich, put barriers to healthcare access, and repeal policies that help Minnesotans thrive like Paid Family and Medical Leave.
Vote Against Anti-Trans Bill
The GOP brought a hateful and dangerously invasive bill to the House floor that would ban trans kids from playing sports. The biggest threat to women and girls isn’t transgender girls who play sports, it's predatory men. HF 12 is dangerous and discriminatory legislation which scapegoats a small and vulnerable group of Minnesotans, while opening our kids up to invasive "transvestigations." I'm proud I voted against HF 12. Watch a lifelong student athlete speak to the cruelty of this bill.
Keep in Touch
Don’t hesitate to reach out if I can provide any assistance. Please follow me on my Facebook page for further updates and invite your friends and family to do so as well.
The volume of correspondence I’m receiving right now is overwhelming and I know that I’m not keeping up. Please know that I’m not ignoring you, I’m just swamped right now.
Thanks for the honor of representing you at the Capitol.
Sincerely,
Steve Elkins
Representative, District 50B
Minnesota House of Representatives
rep.steve.elkins@house.mn.gov