Governor Walz signed a bill into law protecting the freedom to vote and increasing voting accessibility. Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan were joined by Secretary of State Steve Simon, legislators, and advocates to celebrate the bill, which:
✔️Establishes automatic voter registration
✔️Creates permanent absentee voting status
✔️Pre-registers 16- and 17-year-olds to vote
✔️Requires voting instructions in multiple languages
✔️Empowers voters – not corporations or special interests
Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan joined Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and the U.S. Small Business Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman to celebrate National Small Business Week and Minnesota’s Small Business Week award winners.
“Small businesses are at the heart of communities across Minnesota. They drive our economic growth, culture, and innovation,” said Governor Walz. “Today we celebrated some of these outstanding small business owners and highlighted their importance in Minnesota. We are committed to strengthening our federal partnerships and investing in small businesses and breaking down barriers for future generations of entrepreneurs.”
“Small businesses provide opportunities for every Minnesotan,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. “Nearly half of Minnesota’s workforce is employed by a small business, and I am grateful Second Gentleman Emhoff, SBA Administrator Guzman, and our federal partners recognize the importance of small business development to our state. Minnesotans work best when we work together to provide solutions and support for entrepreneurs and workers alike. Just as small businesses owners and employees work hard every day to better our state, we will continue to make Minnesota work better for them.”
On Friday, Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan observed Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Awareness Day.
"We know Native people are disproportionately subject to violence, which is why we established a first-in-the-nation Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office in 2021. Our work does not stop there – there’s so much more to do to ensure everyone in Minnesota is protected," said Governor Walz.
"Every Native woman I know has experienced violence. Every. Single. One," said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. "But in Minnesota, we’re harnessing the power of visibility and turning it into action to ensure our relatives are seen, heard, valued, protected, and believed. We won’t go backwards."
Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan toured a state fish hatchery in St. Paul ahead of the fishing opener.
“Fishing is one of our greatest outdoor traditions, and it makes up a $4.4 billion dollar industry in Minnesota,” said Governor Walz. “Hatcheries are an essential part of conservation and the system we have to ensure the continuation of our fishing and outdoor recreation industry. We need to make investments to repair and improve our aging fish hatcheries and outdoor infrastructure to ensure world-class fishing for decades to come.”
“Fishing is embedded in the culture and traditions of communities all across our state - and one of the ways we celebrate the very best of Minnesota,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. “I am proud of the work being done at our state hatcheries to preserve this critical outdoor industry, and I look forward to joining Minnesotans and getting out on the water during this year’s opening weekend.”
Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan traveled to White Earth for a government-to-government visit.
"As Lieutenant Governor, I was proud to be at White Earth for a government-to government visit as we continue our work to actualize our goal of tribal-state relationships built on respect and sovereignty. As a member of White Earth, this visit was especially meaningful to me," said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan.
"The way that Minnesota government operates today is different than how it operated four years ago. That’s because of the Native people in our office, in the legislature, and throughout the state agencies working *with* Tribal leadership," continued Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. "I’m so deeply appreciative of the work White Earth has invested in our shared success – because when Minnesota’s Tribal Nations thrive, we all thrive."
Governor Walz signed a bill into law improving workplace safety and training standards at oil refineries. Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan were joined by legislators, labor advocates, and members of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades at Pipefitters Local 455 to celebrate the bill signing.
“We will not cut corners when it comes to workplace safety in Minnesota. We are adding safeguards and improving training standards, so that workers can return home safe,” said Governor Walz. “Today, we’re celebrating this win to improve the safety of our oil refineries and recommitting ourselves to the fight to keep our workers and their families safe.
“Workers in our oil refineries do tough jobs, and we must do everything in our power to keep them safe. This legislation provides critical improvements to workplace safety and training standards,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. “I’m grateful to the workers who persistently showed up to make this happen and to our partners in the legislature who are committed to fighting and delivering for workers. Together, we can do right by workers and their families here in Minnesota.”
Ahead of the fishing opener, Governor Walz participated in the second annual Minnesota Fishing Summit hosted by MN-FISH to discuss strategies to improve fishing throughout Minnesota.
“Today we discussed the future of fishing in Minnesota with some of our state’s most passionate and talented anglers. You can feel the excitement growing for the state’s unofficial kick off to summer,” said Governor Walz. “With meaningful investments in conservation and outdoor recreation, we can preserve this outstanding tradition and make the case to others across the country that we have a lot to offer here in Minnesota – including some world-class fishing.”
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