Dear neighbors,
I hope everyone is staying safe and making the most of our Spring snow. Here’s a look at what we’ve been doing at the State Capitol this week:
Constituents at the Capitol
I always appreciate when constituents make the trip up to the Capitol, and always value any input you have on issues you care about. Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota did a wonderful job getting out their message about e-bikes, safety, and infrastructure. Amenities like bike trails are an asset to our city. Thank you to them for the deep dive into the Summit Avenue bike proposal.
There are nearly 5,000 physical therapists/physical therapist assistants who are a part of APTA Minnesota. They work in hospitals, nursing homes, rehab centers, private practice, and other settings to help their patients achieve their peak mobility and activity levels. They visited me to share their role in serving patients and discussing their 2024 legislative agenda. I am in full support of the PT compact and direct access bills.
Rise and Repair is a diverse alliance of people and organizations advancing Climate Justice & Indigenous Rights. I was grateful to have the opportunity to meet and discuss climate mental health, environmental justice, food justice, electric school buses, and manoomin rights. Your passion for this work and your dedication for making change is inspiring.
In Minnesota, there are 60,000 home caregivers. SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa members Kerry and Anne took time out of caring for their loved ones to share challenges in their roles as home care providers for SEIU Lobby Day. Thank you both for sharing your stories and for choosing this difficult but rewarding work.
Hunger Day on the Hill brought new and familiar faces to my office. Advocates from Mississippi Market Co-op, M Health Fairview, The Food Group, and FFEN - Foundation for Essential Needs shared their anti-hunger priorities. Together, we can create a better food system. It’s necessary because food is medicine.
Representative Dave Pinto and I sat down with group homes for Disability Services Day at the Capitol. Group homes can profoundly impact a person’s life. It gives those who have developmental disabilities, brain injuries, substance abuse and/or who are neurodivergent the tools and freedom to live independently. We appreciate your time and advocacy.
I have had the pleasure of working with MAPE members on pension issues this session. I heard why corrections agents need benefit changes in their plan. For MAPE Lobby Day, I appreciated the opportunity to hear from other members from DEED, DHS, and Revenue about additional challenges professional employees face. Much gratitude that you all took time to meet me.
Housing sits at the intersection of all of the disparities in health, wealth, economics, education, and the criminal justice system. Without a home, people cannot have the stability to overcome obstacles. Thank you to advocates from Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, MICAH, Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota, Align Minneapolis, and The Link for your support of my bill HF3640 prohibiting landlords from discriminating against renters with Section 8 vouchers.
Imogene and Mary made my day! They visited to advocate for the priorities on the AARP MN legislative agenda. Imogene is 95 years old and still fighting the good fight. In addition to lifting up bills they care about, they shared life lessons on how to age gracefully and opinions on the greatest invention in Imogene’s lifetime. I am so grateful to have met them.
From prohibiting predatory real estate scams (HF 3338 - Rep. Freiberg; HF 4034 - Rep. Cha) to protecting older homeowners from losing the equity in their homes when they can't pay their property taxes (HF 4822 - Feist), these are bills that will keep our seniors safe.
Stay Connected
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas for our work this year, always feel free to reach out to my office at 651-296-8799 or rep.kaohly.her@house.mn.gov, and you’ll hear back from me or my Legislative Assistant, Madisyn. You can also follow along on my official Facebook page, and subscribe to these regular emails if you haven’t already.
Sincerely,
Kaohly Vang Her
State Representative