Capitol Update 1/20

Dear Neighbors,

Week three of session has been incredibly productive as the House DFL continues to fulfill our campaign promises. Once again, I’ll encourage you to pass along my newsletter and Facebook page to your neighbors and community members so they can stay in touch with all we are accomplishing.

1. Progress on Highway 65 - Working Together!

• I recently met with city, county, and state leaders on our plan to secure funding for Highway 65 this legislative session.
• I’m making quick progress on getting this bill ready, I’m excited to begin the work of carrying this critical bill soon.
• Expect a big announcement next week!

2. Public Safety Action - Using Every Tool to Make MN Safer

• Over the last few years increased crime has been a concern across the state. This year, the House DFL is taking major steps to make the entire state safer.
• The Public Safety Committee passed HF 25 which will make one of the largest investments in public safety in state history. We will make a comprehensive investment of over $300 million in 2023 in a variety of critical programs to improve safety across the state.
• We are taking a holistic approach, funding everything from violent crime investigation, community crime prevention, crisis response, criminal investigation, and criminal apprehension. This bill recognizes the very real need to improve our response to violent crime to improve case closure rates immediately, while funding efforts to prevent the factors which lead to these crimes.

3. Other Critical Bills - Efficient, Effective, and Timely Governance

There are many important bills moving through the House right now, here are a few especially critical ones you should be aware of.

• 100% renewable energy: we must take climate action now to guarantee the future of our next generations. This bill passed its first hurdle on Wednesday.
• Conversion therapy ban: no one should be forced into ‘therapy’ which calls into question their very identity and existence. Read about this bill here, which ends the practice for youth.
• Earned sick and safe time: every worker deserves the right to take the time they need to rest and recover when they are sick, or to spend time with loved ones after a major life event. This much needed bill passed out of its first committee this week.

Stay in Touch

Please feel free to reach out to me by email at rep.matt.norris@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-2907. If you have a friend, neighbor, or relative who wants to receive updates about the Legislature, let them know they can subscribe to my email list here, and follow my Facebook here. It’s an honor to represent our community. Please stay in touch!

Sincerely,

Matt Norris, District 32B

507 State Office Building

St. Paul, MN 55155