Dear Neighbors, Last week marked our “committee deadline week” - the point by which all bills must clear their required committees before moving on to Ways & Means. With that behind us, most committees will cease regular meetings as we shift our focus toward shaping the state budget. Recently, I’ve presented several important bills, including funding for housing with mental health supports, free or subsidized childcare for childcare workers, and the establishment of a Minnesota youth poet laureate program. The House is on our Easter/Passover break this week. For those who celebrate, I wish you a Happy Passover or Happy Easter. We’ll return on Monday, April 21, for the final four weeks of the session, which concludes on May 19. As my colleagues and I continue our work this session, your participation in the legislative process remains vital. Your feedback and experiences help inform policy decisions that affect our entire state.  Minneapolis Town Hall on Federal Issues The actions we see being taken in Washington, D.C. on a near daily basis are alarming, disturbing, and downright dangerous. Join me on Monday, April 21, at 7 pm for a town hall meeting to fight back against the Trump administration’s harmful policies. To receive the event location, please register here.  District Town Hall with Attorney GeneralRepresentative Emma Greenman, Senator Zaynab Mohamed, and I are thrilled to be joined by Attorney General Ellison for our District 63 Town Hall on Tuesday, April 22nd, from 6:30-7:30 pm at South High School. We will discuss how we are working to protect Minnesotans from the chaos and cruelty of the Trump/Musk agenda both in the Legislature and in the courts.  Attorney General Ellison has been fighting on behalf of Minnesotans for years. In the last few months, the Attorney General has been on the frontlines of protecting our state from the illegal and unconstitutional actions of Donald Trump and Elon Musk, and we are so thankful and excited that he will be joining us to talk about the work of the Attorney General’s office. I hope you can join us! Governor Walz Creates Dashboard to Track Federal Funding Cuts Impacting Minnesota Despite court orders prohibiting the federal government from freezing many funding streams, disruptions to federal funds have continued. Some disruptions are short-lived. Other grants and awards are abruptly canceled altogether, resulting in layoffs and fewer services for Minnesotans. In the fiscal year 2025 alone, Minnesota was awarded 687 federal grants and awards totaling $23.3 billion. In addition to the significant losses in funding for vital services Minnesota is already experiencing, potential cuts in federal funding for entitlement programs like Medicaid, which Minnesota is required to provide, could create huge funding holes in Minnesota’s state budget. Last week, Governor Walz announced a new dashboard Minnesotans can use to track disruptions and cancellations of federal funding and their impact on services available to Minnesotans. Federal disruptions and cuts so far have included grants to track measles and avian influenza, provide heating assistance, and mitigate flooding. The site lists which grants or awards were disrupted or canceled, the federal agency that awarded the funds, the state agency that oversees the funds, a description of the impacted grant, the total award, the amount of the award impacted by the federal action, and the date of the action. Regardless of what happens in Washington, Minnesota must be proactive and prepared. We are working hard at the state level to support stability, protect our economy, and ensure that every Minnesotan has a fair shot at success. Clean Energy Resource TeamsWe should always be looking to see how we can advance clean energy. Clean Energy Resource Teams or CERTs, is a statewide partnership with a mission to connect Minnesotans and their communities with resources to identify, plan, and implement community-based clean energy projects. They help people better understand clean energy through stories and events and offer tools and resources to help them plan projects, and they help identify the steps to get started! Below are some resources to tap into! Learn more here! Small Business Impact SurveyAmid ever-changing news around federal tariffs, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development is gathering information from affected small businesses in Minnesota. In this period of uncertainty, there may be a lag in data, so this survey is a way for our local business owners to communicate directly with the department now. The survey takes less than five minutes to complete. By collaborating with Minneapolis’ locally owned small businesses, which face significant challenges, we can proactively plan for the state's future needs. Keep in TouchPlease continue to reach out anytime if you need assistance or have questions at rep.samantha.sencer-mura@house.mn.gov or 651-297-7087. You can also follow my Facebook page. In community, Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura Minnesota House of Representatives |