Neighbors, Another important measure was approved by the House on Monday night with passage of the Judiciary and Public Safety conference committee report. The bill supports law enforcement, victims of crime, and juvenile justice reforms. It invests in community violence prevention grants, improves the rehabilitation process, and more. Governor Walz signed the bill into law today. The bill contains two common sense gun violence prevention measures supported by most Minnesotans. Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. The measure implements criminal background checks to keep guns out of the hands of those prohibited from having them. It also includes a red flag law, creating an effective tool to prevent those likely to cause harm from doing so. Lastly, it makes historic investments in gun violence prevention research grants to determine the next best steps to end gun violence. Support for law enforcement and victims is central to the bill, carrying significant investments for both. The legislation includes law enforcement priorities with a substantial investment in officer recruitment. Victims and survivors will receive the assistance they need through advocacy programs, housing supports, and state-paid sexual assault exams. This measure will create a safer Minnesota while working to break cycles of crime and violence. Bills to be Signed by Gov. WalzThis week Speaker Melissa Hortman signed the enrollment for the annual Claims bill and the Substance Abuse Disorder bill I authored. The next stop for the legislation is Governor Walz’s desk for his signature.  Education Conference Committee Report ApprovedThis week, the House approved the E-12 Education conference committee report budget, which delivers meaningful investments to support our students and school staff, and stabilizes our public-school funding. In addition to increases in the per-pupil education formula, the bill also links the formula to inflation in all future years to help school districts have more predictability in their financial outlooks. The budget bill also reduces the Special Education cross-subsidy and eliminates the English Learner cross-subsidy by 2027, targeted to the school districts serving students with the highest needs. The bill also increases investments to recruit and retain teachers of color, so those at the front of the classroom better reflect students they teach. In addition, we boosted investments in The Read Act to expand access to evidence-based literacy instruction. The House passed the Early Education conference committee report, to deliver a historic $300 million over the next four years in learning for the youngest Minnesotans, including in early learning scholarships. These investments will increase access to high-quality early care and learning programs for lower-income and vulnerable children (those with the highest needs) to improve school readiness and allow parents to access employment and education opportunities. Adult-Use Cannabis Closer to Becoming Law with Bipartisan VoteThursday night, the House passed the conference committee report, and I cast a ‘yes’ vote for the legalization of adult-use cannabis in Minnesota. This session, the bill was reviewed and approved by 16 committees before reaching the House Floor. Our cannabis laws are not working and disproportionally impact Black Minnesotans, even though people of all races use cannabis at roughly the same rate. This legislation provides for automatic expungement of prior petty misdemeanor and misdemeanor marijuana convictions and creates a Cannabis Expungement Board to review other cannabis convictions and determine whether a person is eligible for expungement. Once signed into law, Minnesota will become the 23rd state and the third state in the Midwest to legalize adult-use cannabis. Created with this bill is the Office of Cannabis Management, which will oversee the regulation of cannabis, cannabis products, hemp edibles, and hemp-derived consumer products. Stay connected with the LegislatureThe 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 |