Neighbors, I hope you were able to spend time with your family and friends over the holiday. Legislators returned to the Capitol on Tuesday after the recess. We will be busy with hearings and floor sessions during the next seven weeks as we near the end of the 2024 legislative session. Congratulations to our MSU MavericksA huge shout out to our MSU women’s and men’s basketball teams for winning the Division II National Championships. Last Friday, the Minnesota State women's basketball team defeated Texas Woman's University for their first NCAA Division II National Title since 2009 in St. Joseph, Missouri. On Saturday, the Minnesota State men's basketball team defeated Nova Southeastern University for their first NCAA Division II Title in program history in Evansville, Indiana. On Monday, the Minnesota State Athletic Department hosted a “Welcome Home Celebration.” CONGRATULATIONS!!!  Policy Bills Begin to Pass HouseThis 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 also passed an early education policy bill focused on strengthening our pre-kindergarten and school readiness programs. We also 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. Additionally, we passed a transportation policy package that improves road safety, adopts safer speed limit recommendations, shortens Driver Vehicle Services wait times, and includes child passenger safety and consumer protections. The Capitol and the Community Local resident Sophia Hoiseth visited the Capitol this week. Last session, she helped to advocate for a measure regarding predatory payday loans, which we banned last year. She is helping to shed light on some predatory practices that are still happening. Survey ResultsThank you to all who completed my legislative survey. I am appreciative of your input. As I reviewed the survey results, what struck me most is how much you are all rooting for the success of our community and our state. You care about educating our children, protecting our abundant natural resources, making women’s health care available and accessible, treating workers fairly, building strong families, and more. While we have made incredible progress helping Minnesotans succeed, we still have work ahead. We invested in our childcare providers, which helps parents continue to participate in the workforce. We continue to find solutions to the rising cost of healthcare and prescription drugs. We are finding solutions to the vexing issue of climate change, to protect our beautiful and bountiful natural resources. Building on last session’s successes, we are working with advocates and partners to continue to better the lives of all Minnesotans, no matter where they live.  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. You can also visit my House of Representatives website. 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 |