 Dear Neighbors, I hope you’re having a good week. Last week, the House, Senate, and Governor reached an agreement on legislation to deliver hero checks to frontline workers who sacrificed their health and their families’ safety to protect us during the height of the pandemic. My colleagues and I know that these payments are a mere token of our appreciation and we will continue to work to ensure that workers are protected and valued in Minnesota. To see if you may qualify for the hero checks, please check out frontlinepay.mn.gov. Once the application is live you will have 45 days to apply. The deal also includes replenishing the Unemployment Insurance trust fund, preserving our small businesses from a massive tax increase as they are just getting back on their feet. We’ve been working hard in the House on getting this done since January, and I’m grateful our Senate colleagues decided to join us at the table to find compromise for Minnesota workers and businesses, so everyone can thrive. The introduction of omnibus bills has meant a flurry of activity on the House Floor, passing supplemental budget bills that invest in our students, schools, housing, agriculture, natural resources, transportation, public safety, infrastructure and more. Here’s an update on our progress in the House:  Invest in Students and Teachers Minnesota students deserve every opportunity to succeed. The House education bill addresses the key funding shortfalls that have been identified by our local school boards. Minnesota currently has one of the worst highest student-to-counselor ratios in the country. Especially after how hard the pandemic has been on our kids, we need to make sure that mental health resources are available and accessible. Our bill includes dedicated investment to hire additional mental health counselors. The bill expands the Teachers of Color program, creates an Ethnic Studies requirement for graduation, and invests in relevant curriculum. Finally, we are continuing our efforts to ensure that every school in Minnesota is fully-funded. These investments should begin to help us address the disparities in our schools. It is our goal that no matter where you come from or what you look like, every child deserves access to high quality education from our public schools.  Ensure Stable, Affordable Housing for All Having a safe and secure place to call home is essential to public health, educational achievement, and economic security. We’ve worked hard this session to put together a Housing bill that invests in first-generation homeownership, supports our renters, and prioritizes keeping unsheltered Minnesotans safe. I’ve spoken more about my specific provisions included in the bill in other e-updates, which you can always have access to here. You can find more details from our non-partisan House news coverage here. Here’s a clip of my remarks.  Support our Infrastructure, Ensure Equitable Transportation We’ve put forward a balanced transportation bill that funds roads, bridges, EV charging infrastructure, bus rapid transit (including the electrification of the transit fleet) and intercity rail; as well as improved customer service in Driver and Vehicle Services and a safer public transit system. The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. We’re tackling the climate crisis by making critical investments supporting the transition to electric vehicles. You can find more details from our non-partisan House news coverage here.  Keep Minnesota Air, Water, and Land Clean As Minnesotans, we’re proud of our clean air, water, and soil and the many plants and animals that call our state home. The environment bill will preserve these valuable resources. We are also funding innovative climate solutions and taking action to reduce lead contamination and exposure to dangerous chemicals like PFAS. You can find more details from our non-partisan House news coverage here.  Support Free and Fair Elections Minnesotans regularly lead the nation in voter turnout, thanks in part to our exceptional elections system. We’re building upon that success by investing in our elections infrastructure, expanding the security and integrity of absentee ballots, and protecting our local elections officials. There are also significant investments in upgrading our outdated core administrative software systems and beefing up our cybersecurity capabilities. Here’s a clip of the discussion.  Caring for Our Veterans Too many families have had to deal with the unimaginable grief of losing a loved one to suicide. We’ve let our veterans go unsupported for too long. The House DFL’s Veterans budget includes a variety of solutions to tackle this epidemic and better address veterans’ mental health difficulties. We also include provisions to end veteran homelessness and provide additional economic security for veterans who need it.  Supporting Small Farmers and Soil Health Investing in sustainable agriculture is one of the quickest ways to support our climate and environment. This includes new investments in the soil-healthy grain Kernza and other emerging soil and water-friendly crops. House DFLers are delivering new investments in farmers and food producers so we can maintain a strong Ag Economy. We also take measures to improve urban agriculture and to help new farmers from diverse backgrounds get into the industry. Reproductive Rights in Minnesota You’ve probably heard about the leaked Supreme Court decision from Monday night. With the news of this leaked decision, any perception of the Court as a fair arbiter of justice is gone. The decision would overturn and question not only Roe v. Wade, but also other precedents that over time have made our country a more just, inclusive, fair and welcoming nation to all people. Abortion is preventive health. With extreme maternal mortality rates within some communities, forcing a person to carry a pregnancy to term is not a choice the government should make. It’s truly frightening to see a political party clearly undercut reproductive rights at every turn. Luckily, Minnesota is a unique state in that our Minnesota Supreme Court found that abortion is protected in our state constitution in 1995. While abortion is legal and protected in Minnesota, access to abortion care remains too restricted to accommodate everyone who may come to our state seeking this type of care. We will be doing everything we can to protect and expand reproductive rights.  Keep in Touch Don’t hesitate to reach out if I can provide any assistance. You can always reach me at rep.esther.agbaje@house.mn. Please follow me on my Facebook page for further updates and invite your friends and family to do so as well. Thanks for the honor of representing you at the Capitol. Sincerely, Esther Agbaje State Representative  |