 Dear neighbors, February flew by. I hope that you’re all enjoying the first week of March! This week, we received the latest budget forecast from Minnesota Management and Budget, showing that our already historic budget surplus has grown to $9.25 billion. The increase is due to higher income, consumer spending, and corporate profits, as well as lower spending in E-12 education and Health and Human Services.? This updated forecast gives us clearer direction for our work this session, and for the most part our mission remains the same: lifting up the Minnesotans who this economic recovery has yet to reach. Working families especially have been actively driving our state’s recovery, but they’re not sharing in its benefits. We need to deliver for our neighbors by meaningfully investing in housing, healthcare, economic security, education, and all the components that help Minnesotans thrive. You can read more about our latest budget forecast here.  Legacy: Arts & Cultural Hearing, Support Youth in the ArtsThis week, the House Legacy Committee held a hearing to learn more about the impact of our arts and cultural heritage funds. Over the last few years my colleagues and I have heard from BIPOC organizations about the challenges and barriers to accessing Legacy funds through the Humanities Center. While I appreciated learning about what the Humanities is doing to address these challenges, I want to ensure all the leaders who reached out to me that my colleagues and I are paying attention and will continue to do the work to ensure Legacy funds are accessible. On that note, I had the opportunity to visit a recipient of the Legacy Amendment, the White Bear Center for the Arts. I met with leaders from the organization who shared about the challenges and work they are doing to uplift rising BIPOC artists during these trying times. I am working with Rep. Ami Wazlawik drafting legislation to support youth workforce in the Arts.  Pigs’ Eye Hearing I am thrilled to have many community leaders join me for this week’s hearing in the Environment committee to present my Pig's Eye Landfill Task Force bill to address cleaning and restoring the dumpsite. My bill aims to bring in the stakeholders and department heads to come to the table with the community and start moving the needle on this issue. I want to thank Mayor Melvin Carter, The Ramsey, Washington and Hennepin Counties Water and Land group for their letters in support of this legislation. I am grateful for St. Paul City Council member Jane Prince, Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Rienhardt, and community leader Tom Dimond who testified in support. All three of the testifiers expressed the great potential for the area once the pollution is mitigated. Tom pointed out that climate change could lead to an extreme weather event with catastrophic impacts for those downstream of the site if harmful pollutants are washed down the river. The bill was heard and laidover for inclusion in the Environmental Natural Resources Omnibus bill. I’ll be working closely with Chair Rick Hansen to ensure that the taskforce bill passes this year. By working together, we’ll see better outcomes for the environment, for public health, for wildlife, and for our residents. We need to protect our water!  CROWN ACTThe CROWN Act (which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural hair) is a small bill that creates big protections for the Black community. The proposal would add a provision to the Minnesota Human Rights Act to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of hair appearance and texture. There have been incidents in Minnesota where an employer has fired and/or taken action against Black workers for not changing their hair or hairstyle. We can’t talk about diversity, racial equity and justice in the workplace without talking about discriminatory policies such as a dress code and appearance code, which also prevents black and brown people from accessing economic opportunities, in addition to its impact on their mental health. Here’s a video. Help with Heating BillsThe Minnesota Reformer recently highlighted how too many Minnesotans are struggling with the high costs of heating their homes this winter. No one deserves to be left in the cold, and if you or someone you know is behind on bills, help is available. The Minnesota Energy Assistance Program can assist with electricity, natural gas, propane, heating oil or biofuel payments, as well as emergency fuel deliveries, and repair or replacement of broken heating systems. Minnesota’s Cold Weather Rule protects residential utility customers from having electric or natural gas service shut off between October 1 and April 30. More information about shut off protection is available from the state Public Utilities Commission. Investing in Voluntary Pre-K Permanently This week, the House Early Childhood Finance and Policy Committee advanced legislation to permanently invest in 4,000 of Minnesota’s Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) slots. The VPK program began in 2017 as one way to provide prekindergarten education services to students who are not yet enrolled in kindergarten. Our youngest learners deserve the best possible start and continuing these funds permanently is a wise investment we can make for our state. Keep in TouchPlease continue to reach out anytime at rep.jay.xiong@house.mn or 651-296-4201 with input or questions. I’m always happy to provide assistance. Have a great week. In solidarity, Jay Xiong
State Representative |