This Week in Saint Paul I’m excited to be serving on the Veterans committee this term. Over the past week, I presented my bill to support County Veterans Service Officers to enhance support for women veterans, to prevent veteran suicide, and to support justice involved veterans. This small amount of additional funding will go a long way to supporting veterans in Minnesota and I was proud to collaborate with the brilliant Dr. Kristy Janigo, who wears many hats as she supports veterans at the legislature and out in the community! *Photo credit to my Republican colleague, Aaron Repinski, who kindly took this photo for me during the presentation!  I also paid a visit Hennepin County Veterans Treatment Court, where I saw firsthand the power of restorative justice to transform lives. Joining us was a Federal representative from the Veterans Department, whose presence and important contributions exacerbated my concerns about how Trump’s layoffs will impact Veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs is the largest Federal employer (aside from the military if all branches are combined) and this week, Trump announced plans for laying off workers serving our Veterans. This will impact our Veterans in all areas of life, from their ability to get medical care to housing.  I also had the chance to catch up with brilliant restorative justice experts from across the state - including Ramsey County Attorney John Choi - for a productive discussion about how restorative practices grants have a triple-impact across our public safety, education, and child welfare policy spaces. I also visited with changemakers at the MN Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The work of good government is often invisible to us in our daily lives, so it’s nice to take a moment to appreciate these immense contributions to the health of MN’s natural resources and economy! Civility Caucus was featured in MPR. Towards the end of my time with the author, Catharine Richert, my Republican colleague Dave Baker, and I were discussing what the next Civility Caucus event would be, and he suggested karaoke. As a former jazz singer, I’m always in for bipartisan karaoke! As a fun feature, Richert asked for me to sing some opera samplings, which aired on MPR later in the day. You can listen to the segment (and some song) by hitting “listen” on the article! Tonight: Building Civility in the Minnesota LegislatureThis evening, I’ll be joining Braver Minnesota with Rep. Kristin Robbins, my co-lead of the Civility Caucus, to talk about how we work to build cross-party relationships that foster effective policymaking and how ordinary citizens can support Civility Caucus goals. This event is free and completely virtual. You can register or find more information here. Immigration ResourcesI have received a number of inquiries from constituents about the fate of our immigrant communities under the Trump administration, and as an immigration attorney, I echo these concerns. The City of New Brighton published a page of resources on their website to ensure that everyone can connect with the resources they need. You can find those here. Eye of the StormThese days, the news can feel relentless, and the stakes of our federal and state government functioning feel very immediate and scary. To fight through the uncertainty and fear, I find calm where I can – in my family, in exercise, in meditation, and in music! A recent typo in reference to my above MPR-opera debut turned into a delightful discovery of this video of Mozart’s Don Pasquale – in sign language! Alongside the action on stage, two fabulous interpreters are signing and acting their hearts out (and in costume!) I recommend taking three minutes to be delighted by their talent and artistry. |