|
Hope you are having a great, long Presidents' Day weekend!
The past couple of weeks have been really busy in St. Paul, and I'm really proud of the work that is getting done for Shakopee and Minnesota! We have been spending a lot of time working on bills - and have started passing some!! - that directly solve problems and improve the lives of Minnesota families.
One other thing I'm immensely proud of is that Speaker Hortman, Senate Leader Gazelka, and Governor Walz have all agreed to a new series of deadlines that will push deadlines earlier for the work we are doing. In theory, it will make the usually-crazy end of session cleaner and more transparent. We'll still have to see how it all works, but it should be a major improvement because people are excited and willing to work together for Minnesota.
WRESTLING HUGE congrats to Shakopee Wrestling!! They are headed back to the State Tourney!! Read more about our team here.
LISTENING I This Wednesday (Feb 20) we'll be having a get-together at Shakopee Bowl. Facebook Event Page
LISTENING II The Following Wednesday (Feb 27) we'll be at Red Oak Elementary to hear from you!! Facebook Event Page
TAXES I This week, the House Tax Committee Chair, Representative Paul Marquart, came to Shakopee to talk about...taxes. He is a wealth of knowledge and we had a great conversation about tax conformity, economic forecasts, and where the State Tax Code is headed. We Facebook Lived the talk so you can watch it at your convenience here.
Rep. Marquart and Rep. Tabke
TAXES II Rep Marquart also addressed some questions about tax filing season. This year is confusing since there were many federal tax changes that went into effect recently and the 2018 MN Tax Bill was vetoed as part of Omnibus Prime. The Department of Revenue has updated its forms to reflect current Minnesota law regardless of the changes, so you can be comfortable filing your state taxes at any point during this filing season.
OPIOIDS In Commerce Committee, I voted to move forward on a bill that will provide $20 million for opioid addiction prevention and treatment. This is a crisis that is affecting all states and communities in the US. I spoke with Chief Tate and in the past year, Shakopee has had many overdoses and used NARCAN seven times. It is a devastating addiction and this money will help. Currently, the bill increases the cost of licenses of manufacturers and distributors to raise the money.
SURVEY The City of Shakopee is conducting their annual survey. This is great feedback for the City and it helps leaders plan for the future you want to see. You can take the survey here.
DIAPERS We are continuing the Shakopee PD's Diaper Drive at the Capitol asking legislators and staff to bring diapers by my office for the annual drive honoring the memory of Janna Wood.
SOVEREIGNTY Today is Sovereignty Day at the Capitol. We are in session all day and hearing from Minnesota Tribal Nations. You can read more about Sovereignty Day here.
HUNTING On Wednesday, I will have my first hearing on a bill that I've been working on with Shakopee residents, Senator Eric Pratt, and Republican co-authors that will allow hunters to use leashed dogs to follow the blood trails if they lose a deer. This is especially important to colorblind hunters who aren't able to see blood trails. You can follow the bill here.
RACIST COVENANTS Many people in MN have restrictive covenants on the title to their home. These were used in the past to prevent minority communities from moving into residential neighborhoods. Our first bill passed unanimously off the House Floor that will allow homeowners to attach a formal document to their home title repudiating the racist language, but it would not remove the language from the title in order to allow for future research on this issue. This couldn't be done in the past - it is a good thing. You can read more about the bill here.
TOKATA House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler and I toured the Tokata Learning Center with Minnesota Teacher of the Year Kelly Holstine and the incredible leaders at Tokata. It was awesome to share the great work being done there for our students.
Majority Leader Winkler, Kelly Holstine, and Rep. Tabke
TEEN TRANSPO Tomorrow, I will have my first vote on a bill that I am sponsoring. We are working with Superintendent Darren Kermes of the SouthWest Metro Intermediate School District to allow buses to transport pregnant and parenting teens to the New Beginnings Teen Program. It is a technical fix that will allow schools to transport the teens. Looking forward to it. You can read more about the bill and follow it through the legislative process here.
FIREFIGHTERS The Shakopee FD is seeking new firefighters. Learn about it in this great video.
|