Legislative Update - April 14, 2023

Dear Neighbors,

We’re back! The spring recess was a wonderful time to recharge my batteries before we begin the final stretch of the 2023 session. Moving forward, we will be spending most of our time passing committee budget bills. I’m thankful for all the work we have done to get these bills to where they are today. There still could be changes, like ironing out minor differences with the Senate, so nothing is final yet, but it is an exciting time for progress!

Our Progress

On Wednesday, we passed the House Legacy and Higher Education Budget bills. We also passed a significant package of legislation to safely expand our voting systems.

In 2008, Minnesota’s voters passed the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment because all of us want our state to be a great place to live, work, and play. House DFLers passed legislation investing over $820 million to continue the important work of restoring, enhancing, and protecting Minnesota’s most treasured spaces and places and increasing access for all. The bill also includes the expansion of free park days and arts and cultural education programs. DFLers are expanding opportunities so all communities can access Legacy funding.

We passed our proposed Higher Education budget. With declining enrollment across higher education, we’re providing a record increase in investment for Minnesota’s colleges and universities. Our budget prioritizes a higher education system that is accessible, affordable, and effectively building the skilled workforce Minnesota deserves. 

On Thursday, House DFLers passed the Democracy for the People Act. No matter our race, background, or zip code, democracy must include all of us. But a handful of extreme politicians want to set us back, making it harder to vote and creating unnecessary barriers that primarily impact Black, brown, Indigenous, elderly, young, and new Americans. They want to divide and distract us while preventing us from taking on Minnesota’s most pressing priorities.

Texas Medication Abortion Ruling

This week, a rogue judge in Texas made a sweeping decision to ban mifepristone, one of the drugs used in medication abortion. Mifepristone has been approved as safe for public use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for over 20 years, and at this point, mifepristone IS still available in Minnesota. This judge's decision reaches into every American’s home to impose his ideology on us. We are still uncertain about what will ultimately happen, but we are continuing our work in the Reproductive Freedom Caucus to ensure you have the freedom to decide what is right for you and your family. On Monday, I joined Unrestrict Minnesota, Reproductive Freedom Co-Chair Senator Lindsey Port, and others at a press conference to discuss how this terrible decision affects Minnesotans, and what we can do moving forward. You can watch the press conference here.

Updates

We had record-breaking attendance at the Land Stewardship Project Breakfast. This year's presentations included the Minnesota Food & Farm Campaign, stewarding our soil and climate, developing strong regional food systems, greatly increasing land access, creating people-centered public institutions, protecting rural communities and our water from factory farming, caring for farm and food system workers, and building healthy rural communities.

As the weather continues to warm up and the snow starts to melt, I wanted to share that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has announced its free park days for 2023! All entrance and vehicle permit fees will be waived on:

• Saturday, April 22
• Saturday, June 10
• Saturday, September 9
• Friday, November 24

Our state parks showcase the best Minnesota has to offer, including hiking, biking, camping, swimming, skiing, birding, and more. I hope you will take the opportunity to get out and enjoy our state parks this year.

The finalists for the 2023 Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award have been selected. I am excited to share that St. Paul has four teachers who have reached the finals! Congrats to all, but especially to St. Paul Public Schools Michael Houston, Molly Megan Keenan, Sorcha Nix, and Fathimath Eliza Rasheed!

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 or like my Official State Representative Facebook Page.

Sincerely,  

Kaohly Vang Her

State Representative