Legislative Update - January 30, 2023

Dear Neighbors,

This week was busy with so much progress in the Minnesota House. I have so much to tell you about this week’s work at the State Capitol!

We’re Making Progress!

First of all, The House passed HF1, the Protecting Reproductive Options Act last week! This bill enshrines the fundamental right to reproductive health care in law. We are hoping the Senate will pass the bill, and Governor Walz has signaled to us that he will sign it into law. I spoke on the House floor in support of the bill as the co-chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus and was so proud of our DFL members for their green votes. 

100% Carbon-Free by 2040

Late Thursday night, the House DFL majority passed the 100% Cleanby 2040 bill, a landmark piece of legislation that will help our state address climate change head-on and prepare for a carbon-free future. This legislation would require that the state’s utilities use entirely carbon-free sources for electricity production by 2040. This would put us on track with over 20 other states that have also adopted similar goals.

Not only is this legislation critical to protecting our climate, but it also makes economic sense. Wind power is the cheapest form of electricity, and producing solar energy is cheaper than building new fossil fuel plants or importing fossil fuels from other states. This bill ensures that we remove barriers to setting up carbon-free and renewable power sources and invest in jobs right here in Minnesota. I was proud to cast my vote in support of the 100% by 2040 bill on the House floor and will continue working to address and combat climate change this session.

MAP Caucus

I am so happy to let you know that Minnesota elected the largest Asian American Pacific Islander caucus outside of Hawai’i. We have seven members in the House and three members in the Senate. On Monday, we had a press conference to discuss our priorities in this upcoming session. Our AAPI community is the fastest-growing demographic in our state and we must be seen and heard in the legislature. Our priorities include the Stop Hate bill, the English Language Learner bill, the Ethnic Studies bill, capacity-building grants for small culturally specific nonprofits, and the AAPI Veterans bill. I am hopeful we can pass these bills this session and make Minnesota a more inclusive and welcoming state. 

Pensions Commission

This week I was elected Chair of the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement. I am so thankful to my colleagues for entrusting me with this role and am excited to get to work. I first started my work in the private sector working on retirement plans. I am committed to protecting these retirement plans that workers rely on after they finish their careers. 

Tenant Protections

On Tuesday the House Housing Committee heard our package of tenant protection bills. Minnesota’s tenant protection laws have not been updated in decades. However, the rental market has continued to change with our growing community. For a few sessions, I have been carrying a package of bills to ensure renters in Minnesota have a fair playing field when it comes to non-refundable fees, heating, court filings, and participation in public assistance to name a few provisions. You can read the bills here: HF 315, HF 316, HF 317, and HF 445.

Student Debt Tax Credits

On Wednesday, I presented two bills to the House Taxes Committee to help Minnesotans with mounting student loan debt. HF 443 increases the maximum student loan tax credit, increases the income threshold for the tax credit, and makes the tax credit refundable. HF 754 puts Minnesota in conformity with the federal government’s student loan forgiveness program. These are both important bills to ease the financial burden so many Minnesotans are facing. And it’s good for our state’s economy to have more of us paying into goods and services instead of saving all of our cash for steep monthly student debt payments. The bills were laid over for possible inclusion in a future package of tax legislation.

Redistricting Update

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Stay in Touch

If you have any questions or feedback you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact me by email at rep.kaohly.her@house.com or call (651) 296-8799. 

Sincerely,  

Kaohly Vang Her

State Representative