Neighbors, It has been a week of action at the Capitol. We have been busy passing conference committee reports and sending the compromise measures to the governor for his signature. Yesterday, the Minnesota House of Representatives approved the conference committee report on House File 2073, the state’s Higher Education Budget. With declining enrollment across higher education, the report provides a record increase in investment for Minnesota’s colleges and universities to reverse this trend. The Higher Education budget for 2024-2025 funds the Office of Higher Education, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the University of Minnesota campuses, the Mayo Clinic Medical School, and Tribal Colleges. Notably, the budget provides free college to students with household income under $80,000. Also yesterday, the House overwhelmingly approved the conference committee report on the Legacy Budget. The bill invests over $818 million dollars in Minnesota’s outdoor heritage, clean water, parks and trails, and arts and culture, including $172 million to restore, protect, and enhance Minnesota’s prairies, forests, wetlands, and wildlife habitats, with projects covering a total of over 121,000 acres of land. It invests over $318 million in the Clean Water Fund split between state agencies and creates a Minnesota Clean Water Goal to make sure our water is safe for fishing, swimming, and drinking by 2050. The bill also includes $136 million to preserve and protect parks and trails across the state, with a provision ensuring four free public access days a year. Finally, it invests almost $192 million dollars in arts, arts education, and arts access to preserve Minnesota’s history and cultural heritage. Monday, the Minnesota House unanimously passed the conference committee report for the Veterans & Military Affairs Budget. The bill funds operations of the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Military Affairs, while including initiatives to support Minnesota veterans. Also on Monday, the Minnesota House approved the conference committee report on House File 2335, the state’s Housing Budget. The report makes $1 billion in investments, our state’s most significant commitment to addressing our housing crisis in state history. In doing so, the legislature will create housing stability for Minnesota families on the brink of homelessness through new state-based housing vouchers, spur the production of new homes across the state, and deliver pathways to homeownership for thousands of Minnesotans. As the days tick down to the end of session, you can watch all the relevant conference committee and House floor hearings on the House Public Information YouTube channel.  TOMORROW: Medicaid Information Needed During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, annual renewals for our public health programs – MinnesotaCare and Medicaid – paused. Tomorrow, May 11, the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency is ending and those on MinnesotaCare or Medicaid will need to update their information to determine their ongoing eligibility. If someone is no longer eligible for coverage under Medicaid, they should be able to get low-cost health insurance through the federal and state insurance marketplaces. You can watch a short video here for more information. Stay Connected with the LegislatureIt is easy to stay connected to news from the State Capitol. The Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services offers nonpartisan recaps of high-profile bills, committee hearings, and floor sessions with their Session Daily publication. Subscribe to receive these here. To track bills of interest through the legislative process, I encourage you to utilize the MyBills feature on the Minnesota House of Representatives’ website. Please continue to reach out with any input, ideas, or feedback about the issues important to you. I value hearing from you, so call or email any time. You can find my information on my House website. You can also like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter. It is an honor to represent you at the State Capitol. Sincerely, Kim Hicks State Representative |