Legislative Update – January 13, 2023
On January 3, 2023, I was officially sworn in as your representative for District 58A! Thank you for the opportunity to serve. At the State Capitol, my colleagues and I have hit the ground running and are hard at work moving forward on the issues critical to our district and our state!
To stay up to date with our important work at the State Capitol, you can follow my official State Representative Facebook page. You can also use this link to sign up to receive my legislative updates via email.
Committee Assignments – Agriculture Vice-Chair!
I am excited to announce that I have been appointed to serve as the vice-chair of the Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee! I am ready and excited to get to work partnering with our friends in the Department of Agriculture as well as farmers throughout our state and district to make sure that we support them using this budget surplus!
In addition to serving as Agriculture vice-chair, I will also serve on the Elections Committee, the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, and the Education Finance Committee. These committee assignments will allow me to be an advocate for our district on many issues I heard again and again while knocking on doors last summer and fall. With this legislative session and DFL control of the House, Senate, and Governor’s office, we have an opportunity to make progress on protecting our air, soil, and water, strengthening and expanding our democracy, and making sure all Minnesotans have access to a world-class public education system!
Moving Legislation Forward
This week on the House floor, legislators voted to pass a bill to update Minnesota’s tax code into conformity with federal law. This will result in over $100 million in tax cuts to a wide range of Minnesotans while simplifying future tax filings. This efficient and unified action is just the beginning of an effective legislative session under House DFL leadership. I was happy to cast my vote in support of the bill and encouraged that the legislation passed unanimously 132-0!
The Elections Committee, which I serve on, heard multiple bills this week that would increase civic engagement in our democracy. I was proud to support HF28, which would restore the right to vote to individuals with a felony after they have completed their sentence and probation. This bill is a step in the right direction-reintegrating Minnesotans back into civic society. In that hearing, no testifiers or representatives spoke in opposition to the bill. We also heard a bill that would allow 16 and 17-year-olds to “preregister” to vote with testimony from high-school students excited by the opportunity to build lifelong habits of voting. You can learn more about that preregistration bill here.
Meanwhile, the Environment and Natural Resources Committee moved forward with several bills that were vetted by the House last year, including a bipartisan bill regarding state land management, a bill studying the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on Minnesota’s game species, and a bill funding the popular “Lawns to Legumes” program which helps landowners replace grass with pollinator-friendly plants such as honeysuckle, clover, thistle, sunflowers, and goldenrod. You can learn more about the Lawns to Legumes program and how to apply for it here. I’m glad our committee is getting to work cleaning up from last year’s session and moving forward on important legislation!
KYMN Radio Appearances
As your state legislator, I am dedicated to keeping you informed about what is going on at the State Capitol. That is why I will be appearing every Friday morning at 7:20 AM on the KYMN Morning Show. Last week we talked about my swearing-in, hitting the ground running, and my committee assignments! You can listen online here: https://share.transistor.fm/s/109b547b
Then, you can check out my guest-hosting appearance with Laura Meyers on the Weekly List Music Show! We highlighted great music by fantastic femme and non-binary artists from Minnesota: https://share.transistor.fm/s/f2dde5f5
Stay Connected!
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To share your input or ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance, please feel free to reach out at rep.kristi.pursell@house.mn.gov or 651-296-0171, and I will be happy to help. If you were forwarded this email and you’d like to subscribe, click here. If you have a friend or neighbor who would be interested in receiving these, please forward this and encourage them to subscribe!
Sincerely,
Kristi Pursell
State Representative