Friends and neighbors, It was another exciting week in Saint Paul. While mother nature decides whether it’s winter or spring, we’ve been hard at work advancing legislation to improve the lives of Minnesotans. Here’s the latest from the Capitol. Great Start Affordability ActEarlier this week, I joined my colleagues to support the Great Start Affordability Act at a press conference at the Capitol. The bill increases the affordability of high-quality early care and learning for families with children from birth to kindergarten, aiming to meet the federal recommendation that no family pays more than 7% of their annual income for early care and learning. Under this proposal, a monthly per-child payment would be sent directly to providers, reducing the amount families have to pay up-front. This ensures the assistance is received throughout the year rather than during tax season as a rebate. Payment amounts would be based on the family’s income, topping out at 150% of the state median income, which is about $175,000. About 85% of Minnesota’s families with children under the age of five would be eligible in some way on a sliding scale. The bill is making its way through committee hearings, and I look forward to supporting this great proposal.  Fiscal Responsibility for Local CandidatesLast week, the Elections Committee held its first hearing on HF 3645, a bill I authored to ensure that PACs that spend on local races (think school board and city council) will have to file, register, and disclose information the same as they do for state races. Minnesotans deserve to know who is spending to influence local elections, and this bill will provide that. Putting Guardrails on Online Program ManagersI just introduced a bill to regulate online program managers. OPMs are for-profit businesses that often contract with colleges and universities to help with a host of services from recruitment to curriculum. These companies can be a great help when used correctly, but often times charge high rates for insufficient work. This bill would introduce some guardrails to ensure university dollars are being well used on OPMs, rather than high rates returning little benefit while passing along the cost to students. I’m hopeful the bill will receive a hearing in the coming weeks. Welcoming Dr. Rebecca CunninghamI want to extend a warm welcome to the new University of Minnesota President, Dr. Rebecca Cunningham. Dr. Cunningham is highly accomplished and qualified to serve our University system, and after a long search, I look forward to her leadership as she brings a new wind of energy and stability to the U of M. Join Me for a Community Conversation!The 2024 legislative session is officially here! While we get to work for you, I want to make sure I get to hear from you along the way, so I want to extend an invitation to my next community conversation on Wednesday, March 27th at Atonement Lutheran Church. I hope to see you there! You can RSVP on Facebook now. RSVP is encouraged, but not required. This is a non-partisan event, and all residents of District 51B are welcome. RSVP  |