 Neighbors, On February 18, Sen. Frentz, Rep. Brand, and I are hosting a Town Hall at the Mankato Intergovernmental Center. I hope you can join us to ask questions about the 2023 legislative session.  Feeding Minnesotans Another busy, but productive week has wrapped up. On Thursday, I voted ‘yes’ on two important pieces of legislation to make sure every Minnesotan has enough to eat. The first bill, House File 5, guarantees breakfast and lunch to Minnesota’s students, reducing costs for families. During the pandemic, the USDA provided free meals to all students, regardless of income, through the end of the 2021-2022 school year. Federal support did not continue into the current school year, but several states, including California, Nevada, Vermont, and Massachusetts continued funding free meals for all their students from their state budgets. We know food insecurity can lead to many adverse outcomes, including increased school absences, lower reading, and math test scores, and increased unpredictable behavior. Voting for this bill helps our students get a good start to their day and get the nutrition they need to learn.  Also, yesterday, the Minnesota House unanimously passed HF213 which provides funds to food shelves to purchase, transport, and coordinate the distribution of nutritious food to individuals and families in need. The Community & The Capitol A highlight of my week is when residents visit the Capitol. I met with Mankato’s Bike/Walk advocacy group to talk about their request to fund the bike path between Mankato and St. Peter along Highway 22.  My bill to allocate funds to the Center for Rural Behavioral Health was heard in the Human Services Finance committee on Thursday. MNSU – Mankato Associate Professor Thad Shunkwiler, and student body president Emma Zellmer helped make the case for HF586. The Mankato Free Press also came up to cover the story! You can watch the committee here.  Earlier this week, I met with MNSU – Mankato students to talk about ranked choice voting and the possible impact on future elections. As usual, the students were engaged and asked great questions about various aspects of our elections. You can read about our conversation here. Stay connected with the Legislature The Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services offers nonpartisan recaps of high-profile bills, committee hearings, and floor sessions with their Session Daily publication. Subscribe to receive these here. To track bills of interest through the legislative process, I encourage you to utilize the MyBills feature on the Minnesota House of Representatives’ website here. I welcome your questions and comments anytime. You can send an email to rep.luke.frederick@house.mn.gov or call me at (651) 296-3248. Also, please visit and “like” my Facebook page for more Capitol and community updates. Thank you for the privilege of representing you in the legislature. Sincerely, Luke Frederick State Representative District 18B – rep.luke.frederick@house.mn.gov
487 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55155
(651) 296-3248 Committee assignments:
Vice Chair: Human Services Policy Judiciary Finance & Civil Law Agriculture Finance & Policy Elections Finance & Policy |