Friends and Neighbors,
As we near the halfway point of the legislative session, committee hearings are getting longer, more bills are being heard, and we’re beginning to set the framework for our new State budget. It’s a lot of work, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to discuss our progress. Here is what my colleagues and I have been working on at the Capitol:
Minnesota Indian Preservation Act
It’s done!! The new, improved MIFPA (Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act) has been signed into law! Minnesota Tribal/State Agreement and the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act supports the preservation of tribal identity of Indian children, recognizing tribes as appropriate entities to provide direction to the State as to the best interests of tribal children.
Great Start MN
I had an energetic meeting with Tiffany, a parent and Channon, a childcare provider, on the trajectory of early childhood education in Minnesota. High-quality childcare keeps children safe and healthy. Investments in early childhood development lay the foundation for school readiness by building the cognitive and character skills that children need to do well in school and in life, including attentiveness, persistence, impulse control and sociability.
In addition, it helps children develop skills they will need for success in school and in their lives outside of school:
Social, emotional and communication skills
Pre-literacy and basic mathematical skills and concepts
Language acquisition and science
An awareness of their environment and the roles of the people in it
Homeless Youth Cash Stipend
It has been a whirlwind at the Capitol creating meaningful legislation that will have transformative effects on our relatives now and for those to come. We are actively building the foundation to ensure our next generation has the tools, resources, and knowledge they need to prosper in their endeavors.
HF 2008 would establish a youth cash stipend pilot project for homeless youth ages 18-24 in Hennepin and St. Louis counties, especially geared towards LGBTQQIA+ youth and youth of color who face homelessness at higher rates. It’s all about clearing obstacles to stable housing, youth-centered wrap-around supports, and strength-based evidence to end youth homelessness. With a cash-plus pilot, we can boost budgets so youth can pursue educational opportunities, purchase a vehicle, grow their careers, and beyond.
Reward Fund
We had a successful hearing with bipartisan support for HF 1376. Our bill would establish the first– ever reward fund, supports for community-led justice work and more with the Offices of Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. A true example of community-led solutions to the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives and Missing and murdered Indigenous women crisis facing our state and country. We are proud to expand partnerships, work in solidarity, and to support the newly created Office of Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls led by Rep. Ruth Richardson. Together, we can create a world where our people can thrive, free of violence and full of dignity.
Giiwedinong: The Museum and Cultural Center of the North
Honor the Earth acquired the Carnegie Library building from Enbridge in the fall of 2022 and designated the site as the Giiwedinong: The Museum and Cultural Center of the North. The proposed legislation (Senate File 1916 and House File 2091) provides funding for museum-related programming and educational efforts to teach the public about the history and cultural heritage of Indigenous people in Minnesota.
“Preserving and educating one’s cultural heritage ensures that heritage will survive for future generations. That’s why establishing funding for physical upgrades to the museum building and allocating sufficient programming dollars are so important to pass during this legislative session.” -- Representative Alicia Kozlowski (District 08B, DFL)
“Giiwedinong lies in a very historic area with a unique ecosystem of biodiversity. We’re going to turn this former Enbridge office building into a living monument to Indigenous history, culture, and treaty and civil rights to help change the narrative in the Deep North. I spent a lot of time in Carnegie libraries as a child, and the opportunity now to have this historic building in Park Rapids become a destination for Indigenous knowledge, learning and sharing really is the fulfillment of a dream. I’ve had this idea for a long time, and here we are. We’re praying every day for every piece of this to fall into place, and the pieces are moving.” – Winona LaDuke, Co-Executive Director, Honor the Earth.
Duluth School District, Special Education Funding
We had another big day at the Capitol! Superintendent Magas helped me present HF 336 in the Education Finance Committee. Back in 2016, new special education funding formulas negatively impacted Duluth Public Schools as they were unexpectedly billed through special education tuition more than double, costing the district more than $5 million and draining their financial reserves. HF 336 rights wrongs caused by the state and seeks to make the district whole by replenishing its reserves. Passing this bill means restored funding to support technology needs, curriculum and textbooks, staffing to support students & their families, and more.
Reproductive Freedom Defense Act
Last night, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed my Reproductive Freedom Defense Act legislation with a 68-62 vote. The bill protects the privacy and rights of persons receiving or providing reproductive health care in the state.
Bodily autonomy is a right, and today we took a critical step in protecting that for more people and providers. The Reproductive Freedom Defense Act will protect the fundamental rights of Minnesota healthcare providers and patients from legal attacks and criminal penalties imposed by anti-abortion extremists in other states. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we must ensure all Minnesotans have equitable access to reproductive healthcare.
Women’s History Month
March is Women's History Month! Let’s use this month to remember and honor all of the amazing women who paved the way for us. There is still a lot of work we need to do to stand up for equal rights in Minnesota and I am committed to pursuing this important work at the Capitol.
Women throughout history have created opportunities for me and so many others. This month is an opportunity to learn about our great leaders, activists, and pioneers who have worked hard to ensure women are recognized and that future generations will learn (with accuracy) the contributions women throughout the world have made. Women’s History Month empowers young girls around the nation with courage, self-esteem, and willpower to walk in our ancestors’ footsteps. Our history will also inspire current and future generations to emulate the women who laid the framework for us to succeed, be treated equitably, and be recognized in society.
$50 million in Emergency Rental Assistance
In the face of skyrocketing evictions and rent increases, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed House File 1440, which delivers $50 million in emergency rental assistance to the state’s Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program. The bill passed on a bipartisan vote of 73-50.
Through much of the pandemic, federal rental assistance allowed Minnesotans to maintain housing stability. Many of those funds dried up in January of 2022, but the economic challenges facing low-income families did not. As a result, Minnesota experienced a skyrocketing eviction rate last year with more than 20,000 filed. Many counties across the state have seen 100% increases in eviction filings over pre-pandemic levels including Pipestone, Grant, Olmstead, Clay, Wadena, Chippewa, Roseau, Jackson and Yellow Medicine County. Every Minnesotan deserves a safe, warm roof over their head, and this funding will help many families who are in need.
Investing in Local Jobs and Projects
Last session, a bipartisan agreement was reached on the framework of legislation to invest in local jobs and projects throughout Minnesota, but like many important proposals, Republican leadership chose to walk away instead of completing this work. Efforts to deliver on the legislation never stopped for DFLers, and now the Minnesota House has taken the first bipartisan step in finishing the business of 2022 by approving nearly $1.9 billion in investments for local jobs and projects throughout the state.
The package of legislation we passed addresses hundreds of critical infrastructure projects gone unfunded for too long, including many in our community. There are leaky roofs in state buildings, an outdated campus chemistry laboratory, unstable riverbanks, kids taking unsafe routes to schools, housing that needs to be built for our most vulnerable and failing wastewater infrastructure. The bill also takes great strides to invest in Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color - communities too often left behind when it comes to state investments.
These and other projects are crucial to communities throughout the state, and inflation is only causing them to go up higher in cost the longer we delay. This legislation requires a supermajority to pass, meaning the Senate, like the House, will need Republican support to get this funding over the finish line. Last week, however, Senate Republicans chose gridlock over investments and uniformly voted to defeat the package. I hope you’ll join me in calling on Senate Republicans to reconsider and swiftly pass this legislation. We need to finish the work of 2022 so we can move on to the business of 2023.
You can read more about this legislation and the path ahead here.
Community Resources
The Housing and Redevelopment Authority of Duluth- https://www.duluthhousing.com/
Community Action Duluth- https://www.communityactionduluth.org/
Duluth Community Education- https://duluth.ce.eleyo.com/
CHUM Food Shelf- https://www.chumduluth.org/
Second Harvest Northern Lake Food Bank- https://northernlakesfoodbank.org/
Arrowhead Community Employment- https://acemployment.org/
The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Tribal Employment Services- https://www.mnchippewatribe.org/
Keep in Touch
It is important to me to hear from my constituents. Please reach out anytime if you need assistance or have questions at rep.alicia.kozlowski@house.mn.gov or 651-296-2228. You can also follow my new Facebook page.
In community,
Rep. Alicia Kozlowski
Minnesota House of Representatives