Friends and neighbors, This week was full of late night floor sessions as we work to pass supplemental budget packages to build on last year’s historic progress.  Tonight, the House is expected to take up the 2024 Jobs Budget package, which includes the supplemental budget of our work in the Economic Development Committee, which I chair, and the Workforce Development Committee. This bill accomplishes a strong balance of investment in both rural and metro Minnesota communities. It touches all corners of Minnesota and even includes projects and priorities of my colleagues across the aisle. I’m proud that we were able to build a strong, responsible supplemental budget bill. It’s an excellent follow up to the historic investments we made last year. As this is my last session in the Minnesota House serving as the Chair of the Economic Development committee, I’m incredibly proud of this bill and the work we did together, and I’m looking forward to voting in favor of it. House Floor ActionThe House continues to debate and pass supplemental budget and policy bills on the floor, covering important issues such as education, labor, housing, the environment, and more. Our work this year builds on last year’s historic successes and works to improve the lives of working and middle class Minnesotans. Recently, the House has passed: - A broadly bipartisan bill investing $240 million in our outdoors, clean water, parks and trails, and cultural heritage from the Legacy Amendment fund.
- A K-12 Education bill that boosts resources for the READ Act to improve literacy, moves forward solutions for student wellbeing, and enhances support for teachers.
- An Environment and Natural Resources bill with new investments in tree planting, improving air quality, holding repeat polluters accountable, and tackling solid waste and recycling.
- A Children and Families bill that reforms our child protection system and builds on historic investments in economic support for families, food security, and emergency shelter.
- A Transportation, Labor, and Housing bill that invests in railroad safety and public transit, enhances worker rights and safety, improves housing stability for renters and seniors, and funds homelessness prevention.
 We passed a Pensions and Retirement bill with bipartisan support, which prioritizes educators’ retirement security, improves our pension systems’ health, and strengthens the benefits retirees can expect. Also passed was a bill addressing the “kidfluencer” industry that safeguards young content creators with protections for safety, fair compensation, and future financial security. We also recently passed a strong Tenants’ Rights Policy Bill, which includes provisions to safeguard tenants’ right to organize, protect tenant survivors of domestic violence, clarify tenants’ rights to emergency services, prohibit rental discrimination based on public assistance, and more. More details in the bill are included here. Passing Gun Violence Prevention LegislationThis week we passed legislation to help prevent straw purchases, require the safe storage of firearms, and require lost or stolen firearms be reported to law enforcement within 48 hours after they are known to be lost. Lost and stolen guns are often used in crimes or end up in the hands of those who may cause harm to themselves or others. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, roughly 266,000 guns were stolen across the U.S. per year from 2017-2021. Of these, only 3% were stolen from federally licensed gun dealers, while 95% were stolen from private citizens, equivalent to one every two minutes, and a quarter are never reported to law enforcement. We also passed legislation strengthening Minnesota’s laws around straw purchases, which occur when an individual buys a firearm for someone ineligible to purchase or possess them. H.F. 2609 updates the state’s straw purchasing law to increase the penalty from a gross misdemeanor to a felony. Finally, we passed H.F. 4300, which requires the safe storage of firearms, an important step to prevent access by children and others who should not have access to guns. This bill requires firearms be stored either unloaded and equipped with a locking device or placed in a locked firearm storage unit (e.g., a gun safe) or a locked gun room, where it may be either loaded or unloaded. The safe storage of firearms will save lives. All Minnesotans deserve to be safe in their communities, and this legislation is a step in the right direction. I was proud to vote yes on all of these bills. Keep in TouchThere are a lot of exciting things on the horizon this session, so be sure to follow my Facebook page and Instagram page for timely updates. Please continue to share your questions, ideas, and feedback with me throughout the legislative session. You can reach me by email at rep.hodan.hassan@house.mn.gov. You can contact my Legislative Assistant, Elijah, at 651-296-1761 or via email at elijah.henderson@house.mn.gov. I am incredibly honored to get to work for you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for trusting me with this honor. In solidarity, Rep. Hodan Hassan |