Dear neighbors,
I hope everyone who celebrated holidays this past weekend had a joyful time with friends and family. Legislators just returned from a short break to observe the holidays and are now preparing to head into the second half of the legislative session.
Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to at the State Capitol recently:
House Floor Votes
This week the House began passing policy bill packages in major issue areas building on the work of our historically productive 2023 session and improving the lives of Minnesotans. The House passed two policy bills supporting our Departments of Military Affairs and Veterans Affairs, which passed with unanimous support!
We passed a higher education policy bill that includes the clean energy sector in our Workforce Development Scholarship Program and expands support in higher education for students who have a disability. We also passed an early education policy bill focused on strengthening our pre-kindergarten and school readiness programs. Finally, we passed a transportation policy package that improves road safety, DVS wait times, child passenger safety, and consumer protections.
State of the State
Last week, my colleagues and I attended Governor Walz’s State of the State address at Owatonna High School. In his speech, he celebrated our collective work to make Minnesota the best state in the country for kids and discussed how, every once in a while, people can come together to make a lot of progress in a short amount of time. We had a window of opportunity together in 2023 to make incredible progress improving education in every school across the state, including the largest investment in public education in our state’s history, and ensuring that no child goes hungry at school.
I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Governor Walz and my fellow House Democrats as we build more roads and bridges, more career pathways, and more schools. Because together, we can build better futures for our kids with cleaner water and safer streets.
Constituents at the Capitol
I had the opportunity to meet with members of Teamsters Local 320. They shared their stories of the challenges of being parole/probation officers and the rewarding nature of the job. They are often required to enter situations that put them in harm’s way with little protection or back up. Their jobs are demanding and their ask is for improved benefits in their pension plan. I am committed to protecting pensions for our public employees and continuing to work with Teamsters on funding benefit changes.
David, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, came to visit for IBEW Day on the Hill. A proud member, he not only shared their legislative agenda and the challenges of working seasonally but also the benefit of being part of a strong union. Thank you for making sure legislators are connected to your work.
I had the privilege of rallying with AFSCME Council 5 today for their Day on the Hill. It is important that Minnesota remains union strong. Protecting workers, ensuring strong compensation, and protecting pensions are all priorities I support. Thankful I got to meet my constituents, Valerie and Allen, and I was able to catch up with my friend Jen.
I was proud to join my MN Asian Pacific Caucus colleagues Senator Susan Pha, Senator Foung Hawj, Representative Liz Lee, and Representative Ethan Cha and our Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy yesterday to lift up the AAPI community.
What a fantastic time talking with AAPI students, elders, and community leaders. The young people of Community School of Excellence are our future leaders. So wonderful to see them engaged and excited. Thank you Sewa - Asian Indian Family Wellness for sharing your body of work. Your commitment to refugees, food security for our elders, and support of artists is crucial to strong communities.
Veterans Day at the Capitol
Veterans and supporters are invited to participate in the annual Veterans Day on the Hill, on
Wednesday, April 17. Advocate for veterans’ issues, meet with legislators and
attend the State Capitol rotunda rally. I hope to see you at the Capitol on April 17!
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