Legislative Update – March 20, 2023
Dear Neighbors,
We are halfway through the 2023 legislative session and are continuing to move forward on our priorities to make Minnesota a better state for everyone! Here is an update from the last couple of weeks at the Capitol.
Last week I met with some constituent advocates from Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Future. We had a great conversation about how we at the Capitol can help encourage people to make healthier choices, especially when it comes to the troubling trend of tobacco and e-cigarette companies targeting our youth. As a member of the Health Committee, I am committed to making sure Minnesotans, especially our kids, are healthier.
Bill Hearings
This week, I presented my bill that would convert closed landfills into sites for solar arrays, which could transform over 4,500 acres of otherwise unusable land into 950 megawatts of solar—or enough to power 100,000 Minnesota homes.
As my mother-in-law would say, this is a “might-as-well” kind of bill. If you’re doing something and another opportunity presents itself, you might as well do that. This legislation is a creative way to deploy more clean energy and strengthen our grid. You can watch the presentation here.
Earlier this month, I presented a bill to modify the Minnesota cancer reporting system to comply with requirements for CDC funding, and a policy bill for the Department of Administration to provide clarity to sustainable building managing statutes and give agencies more options in lowering building emissions. I am proud to move these common-sense bills forward this session to help address our climate crisis.
Chankahda Trail Funding in Capital Investment Bill
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 failed to complete this work.
Efforts to deliver on that legislation never stopped for my fellow DFLers and me, 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. That bill passed with 91 votes including 21 House Republicans.
Including my bill, H.F. 188, which provides funding for the reconstruction of this 100-year-old road, including safety improvements, pedestrian crossing enhancements, and access improvements to the Chankahda Trail. This funding is critical to making Plymouth a better place to live. I worked on this road improvement and modernization project as a city council member, and while there is still further work to do, this bill is a good start. Thank you to the Sun Sailor for covering this important project.
This week, Senate Republicans voted against the same compromise bipartisan bill that 21 House Republicans voted for this month. I urge Senate Republicans to reconsider and vote to support this bill which funds critical jobs projects in Plymouth and all across the state.
House Floor Votes
This month, we passed legislation dedicated to ending homelessness in our state by investing in emergency services programs, transitional housing, outreach, and a pathway to stable housing for all Minnesotans. We also voted to ratify labor agreements for state employees and put new guardrails into state law to prevent unconscionable price gouging during times of emergency such as a pandemic or natural disaster.
Last week, The Minnesota House unanimously passed a bill that would enhance child welfare protections under the 1985 Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act, known as MIFPA. The legislation also affirms the state’s policy on Tribal-state relations, including the recognition of Tribes as sovereign nations and the recognition that Tribes have the inherent authority to determine their own jurisdiction for Indian child custody or child placement proceedings.
Finally, this week the House DFL passed legislation to provide emergency rental assistance to Minnesotans facing housing insecurity. The cost of rent and the number of evictions are increasing, and at a time when the protections and resources provided at the height of the pandemic are going away. We must deliver a lifeline to families as we continue our work to address the state’s housing crisis.
Stay Connected!
To share your input or ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance, please feel free to reach out at rep.ned.carroll@house.mn.gov or 651-296-3869, and I will be happy to help!
Sincerely,
Ned Carroll
State Representative