Dear Neighbors,
We are in the final stretch of the legislative session as we are required by the Minnesota Constitution to be done on May 19th. While several bills have passed, we will likely be called to a special session to finish. This is disappointing but not at all surprising. This is standard for a divided government, especially when we don’t have the budget forecast for which we base the budget until March. When the special session will happen and how long it will last depends on a number of factors. My hope is that we will only need an extra day or two to wrap things up. Stay tuned for future developments.
One difficult decision that was made at the end of session was the phased shuttering of the Stillwater prison. The Department of Corrections (DOC) will start the work to close the Stillwater prison in two phases over the next four years, with full closure expected by June 30, 2029. This will be a big change for our community, the prison workers, and the inmates. As your State Representative I plan to work hard to make sure the workers are supported, the inmates are cared for, and that the building and site are transitioned in a way that benefits our community. You can read my full statement here. I also spoke to the issue when we passed our final Public Safety budget bill, watch here.
Graduation Rates Reach All-Time High
Graduation rates have reached a historic high! When we invest in our kids we see results. Minnesota still has a long way to go to return to our nation-leading education outcomes, but this is an encouraging start. I'll continue to invest in our youth and public education, let's keep up this good progress!
Community Activity
I had a great time attending the Sustainable Stillwater Eco Fair at Pioneer Park. Lots of environmentally friendly folks doing great work in that space here in the east Metro!!
Proud to be a part of the House as we passed the bill to honor the special guerrilla units who fought on behalf of the United States during the Secret War in Laos. Thank you to all of our veterans and their families for your service.
It was wonderful hosting so many Stillwater students at the Capitol recently!!
Impacts of Federal Cuts on Medicaid in Minnesota
As the federal government discusses potentially massive cuts to Medicaid, it’s important to look at how this would impact Minnesota and who it would primarily impact. As a legislature we would be forced to make really difficult budget decisions around what to cut and how to raise revenue to continue to meet the most pressing needs. These cuts would result in harmful loss of coverage for kids, people with disabilities, and our seniors. This means nursing homes going understaffed and undersupplied, kids not getting the care and medication they need, folks with disabilities without the support they need to live full lives. This would not be an efficient government, nor would it mean we are saving you money as a taxpayer. It would mean the government can’t afford to do its job or take care of its constituents, it would mean the costs of the negative outcomes of not giving people care would be felt elsewhere. That doesn’t sound like good governance to me; I’ll do all I can at the House to protect these crucial services.
Stay in Touch
Please feel free to reach out to me by email at rep.josiah.hill@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-4124. 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,
Josiah Hill, District 33B
5th Floor, Centennial Office Building