My legislation to address cell phones in schoolsThis week, the Education Policy Conference Committee adopted my legislation to require school cell phone policies. Once finalized, it will head to the Floor for a final vote before heading to the Governor’s desk. The Star Tribune has since published a great article about the origins of my legislation and the research underlying its objectives. Additionally, I recently sat down with MPR to talk about the bill and how it will help address the disruption of phones on student mental health, behavior, and academic attainment. We can and must do better by the next generation to protect them from these harms. Working across the aisleOver this biennium, I’m proud to say that I passed many pieces of bipartisan legislation, often working with my colleagues across the aisle to craft it. This is one of the things I love about being in the Civility Caucus – fostering relationships with colleagues is vital to working well together, even if we don’t see eye to eye on most things. I was recently interviewed along with Rep. Kristin Robbins on PBS's Almanac about Civility Caucus. It’s great to see this positive story of bipartisanship getting attention! Politics doesn't have to be a food fight. WATCH ALMANAC Community at the CapitolI want to thank everyone who stopped by to meet with me over the past few weeks to share the issues that are near and dear to you. I welcomed advocates from Moms Demand Action to talk about our work on gun violence prevention we accomplished last year and look ahead to the work still to be done.  I was honored to be invited to participate in and speak at Somali Day at the Capitol. It was great to talk about the importance of the Office of New Americans in ensuring that new immigrant residents of Minnesota are able to efficiently integrate into our workforce and community.  .  I also met my national partners from the National Center for Youth Law on the restorative restitution bill! Thanks to Jasmine Richardson-Rushin and Miranda Sheffield for coming to Minnesota from California and Washington D.C., respectively, to advocate for our bill (and celebrate Puppy Day at the Capitol!) Our restitution provisions passed this week through the Judiciary Committee. This legislation will expand access to more supportive interventions and meaningful accountability when kids act out.  Join a State Board, Council, or Committee!The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State recently released a notice of vacancies for various state boards, councils and committees that are accepting applications. Any Minnesotans interested in public service are encouraged to apply! There are positions for people from all backgrounds and professions, from cosmetologists to engineers. You can find the full list of vacancies here. |