Dear Neighbors, I hope your summer is off to a great start! On May 20th, the 93rd Minnesota Legislature concluded its most consequential two-year session in state history! After many years of divided government and gridlock that prevented meaningful progress for our state, House DFLers got the job done through a host of accomplishments that will benefit Minnesotans for generations to come. This session ended with decisive action to avoid the extraordinary obstruction of our colleagues across the aisle that threatened to block our deal to increase compensation for drivers and keep Uber/Lyft in Minnesota as well as policy to improve the child care tax credit, enact new gun violence prevention laws, expand health insurance coverage for reproductive care, wigs for cancer patients, prosthetics, and gender-affirming care, and so much more. In an economy tilted in favor of big corporations and the wealthy few, the House DFL Majority has focused on taking on monopoly power by enacting policies reigning in abusive and anti-competitive practices of big pharma, big tech, big insurance companies, and predatory lenders. We are supporting and investing in workers, families, seniors, and the next generation. The Child Tax Credit is projected to cut childhood poverty by one-third. We are helping seniors keep more money in their pockets and delivering property tax cuts and an improved renters rebate program. We continue to invest in housing, early care and learning, food security, and child welfare. We reduced health care costs, including a cap on co-pays for prescription drugs to treat diabetes, asthma, and allergies at $25 for one month’s supply. During my first legislative session as your Representative, I was proud to author the following legislation: - Delivered investments for Dakota County to address a workforce shortage’
- Expanded the number of on-sale liquor licenses for Eagan so Viking Lakes complex’s connection center can operate as planned
- Allowed census workers to access apartment buildings for census business year-round
- Eliminated parental TEFRA fees, a tax on people with disabilities
- Expanded what school personnel can administer epi-pens, saving precious moments in the event of an emergency
- Granted school boards more flexibility in filling vacancies in the event of an elected member not completing their term
- Worked towards creating grants for accessible school playgrounds with Rep. Mary Frances Clardy and Rep. Rick Hansen
 Here are other bills we passed this year that will improve the lives of all Minnesotans in every corner of our state: - Worker protections and wage compensation equity for Uber, Lyft and other TNC drivers
- Minnesota Voting Rights Act, ending prison gerrymandering, and increased early voting on college campuses
- Elimination of minimum wage carve outs for youth, J1 visa holders, and workers at small businesses
- Prevailing wage in publicly financed housing projects and eliminating misclassification fraud
- Medical debt reform
- Minnesota African American Family Preservation and Child Welfare Disproportionality Act
- Strengthen Paid Family and Medical Leave Law
- Funding for services for crime victims
- Prohibition on banning, removing, or otherwise restricting access to age-appropriate book or other material from a school library
- Expanding our nation-leading Child Tax Credit
- Invest in tree planting across the state
- Tenants’ Bill of Rights
- Prior authorization reform
- Funding for the Rise Up Center to support clean energy jobs and training in our community
- Protections for clean drinking water and healthy soil, with investments in sustainable farming
And more! I want to thank you for giving me the privilege of serving as your representative. Being trusted to legislate with my community’s best interest is not something I take lightly, and I’m proud to be part of creating a better Minnesota for all of us under DFL leadership. Now that session is over, I’m headed back to my non-legislative job until we return in January. I’m looking forward to a summer full of kayaking, quilting, and spending time with my family. |