Friends and neighbors, Eid Mubarak to all celebrating last week and weekend! Rep. David Gottfried of Roseville has been sworn into office, officially bringing the Minnesota House back to a 67-67 tie! I’m hopeful that the days of extreme right-wing bills on the Floor are over thanks to committees being restored to an equal split of Republicans and DFLers. I hope that moving forward, we will have an easier time sending truly bipartisan legislation to the House Floor. We are tasked with crafting a state budget that is balanced and beneficial to all Minnesotans, and since so much time was wasted on failing, hyper-partisan bills under Republican rule, we don’t have much time left to do it.  My billsLast week, my bill to make 2023’s paramedic scholarships program permanent was heard in the Higher Education committee. I authored the bill to create the program last biennium to address the crisis we face in paramedic staffing, and it’s been phenomenally successful. My bill to address lobbyist registration was also heard in the Elections and Government Operations committee last week. This bill is also a continuation of a bill I authored last term, and would further clarify who qualifies as a lobbyist. This bill does not restrict the general public from encouraging their representatives to address an issue or vote a certain way on a bill, it just ensures that if folks are being paid to influence government, that Minnesotans have the ability to know. I also presented my child care licensing bill in the Children and Families committee last Thursday. This bill would create a bridge to improving quality and retention of child care in Minnesota by recognizing that child care providers are educators. Our child care licensing system should recognize that fact and focus on basic health and safety, while ensuring that standards for quality are met elsewhere. You can watch my comments on the bill in committee here. I know how important our child care providers are and how important their work is. And I know how much better we all could serve Minnesota kids and families if we move in the right direction. When we’re talking about our littles, what could be more important? Thank you for a great Community Conversation!We had more than 100 neighbors join Rep. Mike Howard and me for a Community Conversation last week at Atonement Lutheran Church. Many community members echoed concerns over the chaos happening in D.C., and I share those concerns. It’s frustrating that we no longer have a serious partner in Washington when it comes to making life easier and more affordable for Minnesotans, but DFLers are focused on doing everything we can on a state level to help combat the effects of the Trump/Musk Administration and its cronies and enablers.  In the meantime, the best thing you can do is stay engaged and make sure your friends and neighbors are doing the same. Those in Washington who are causing so much damage and devastation are counting on us to be complacent, and we cannot hand them that win. I will be holding more Community Conversations in the future, but one way to help stay engaged right now is by forwarding this email to your neighbors and encouraging them to subscribe to stay in the loop. If you have friends outside of our district, you can use this tool to find their State Representative and help them subscribe to their newsletter. Child Tax Credit and Renter’s CreditTax Season is in full swing, and there are two key credits to keep in mind as you file this year, both of which were fought for by the DFL last biennium - the Child Tax Credit and recent changes to the Renters Credit. I was proud to author the Renters Credit law to simplify the process for all Minnesotans. You can learn more about the changes to the credit and how it will benefit our Bloomington community here! Minnesota renters eligible for a property tax refund will now claim their Renter’s Credit on their Minnesota Individual Income Tax return. The Renter’s Credit will be part of their income tax refund amount, and can be applied to the amount owed on their income tax return, or to other debts referred to the Minnesota Department of Revenue. Having the Renter’s Credit on the state income tax form will simplify filing for the around 300,000 renters who claim a property tax refund each year. Renters will no longer have to file a separate return and wait until August or September to get their refund. You can learn more about the Renter’s Credit on the Department of Revenue website.  To check your eligibility and learn more about Minnesota’s Child Tax Credit, please check out the Minnesota Department of Revenue's website. This is a good resource to have handy when you file your taxes, and remember: if you are eligible for the child tax credit, you must file for it; it is not automatic. Don’t hesitate to reach out to my office if you need help or have questions. Good News!Let’s face it – the news is overwhelming. Between constant updates on the latest harmful move by the Trump administration, worldwide instability, economic unease, and so much more, it’s easy to feel like all news is bad news. To help counter that and bring some levity back into politics, I want to take a moment in each newsletter to share some straight up good news or exciting events right here in Bloomington. Last week, Bloomington Mayor Tim Busse delivered the State of the City address and highlighted the best of what Bloomington has to offer. The Mayor highlighted several exciting projects, including modernizing the Bloomington Ice Garden, building a new Community Health and Wellness Center, and improving the Nine Mile Creek corridor. You can watch the video of the address here! |