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Governor Walz, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan, Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic, and House Speaker Melissa Hortman met with senior White House officials in Washington, D.C., to celebrate Minnesota?s economic development and infrastructure investments and paid family and medical leave legislation.
?Thanks to the leadership and partnership of the Biden-Harris Administration, we are ushering in a golden age of infrastructure in Minnesota,??said Governor Walz.??What we?re doing in Minnesota to lower costs and improve the lives of working families is creating a blueprint for the rest of the country to follow. I?m excited that the White House is highlighting the investments we made this session to leverage historic infrastructure funding, drive climate action, and create economic security for families. These investments will benefit Minnesotans in every corner of our state and bring us closer to our goal of making Minnesota the best place in the nation to raise a family.?
 ?So many of the investments and policies passed this legislative session speak to our mission to make it easier for Minnesotans to navigate and afford their lives ? investments in paid family and medical leave and infrastructure are shining examples of this work,??said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan.??By ensuring our roads and bridges are safe, our community organizations are strong, and Minnesotans are able to care for themselves and their loved ones without losing a paycheck, we?re building strong, connected, and safe communities across our state, with equity embedded in all of our work. I?m grateful for the opportunity to share Minnesota?s story with our leaders at the federal level and across the country.?
Ahead of the one-year anniversary, Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan reflected on the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court decision and Minnesota?s work to protect reproductive freedom and health care.?
?One year ago, I pledged that Minnesota would not turn back the clock on reproductive rights in Minnesota as long as I remained in office. Since that pledge, Minnesota became the first state in the country to codify abortion rights into law,? said Governor Walz. ?We have become an island of freedom for women seeking to make their own health care decisions. In Minnesota, we?ll continue to deliver on our promises and protect your rights ? not take them away.??
Following the Supreme Court decision in June 2022, Governor Walz took executive action to protect people seeking or providing abortions in Minnesota from laws in other states.
?So many of us remember exactly where we were when the Dobbs decision came down a year ago. I called my mom and she told me to keep fighting for access to abortion. Last June, we promised to protect abortion and reproductive health care in Minnesota, and I?m proud to say we kept that promise,? said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. ?Reproductive freedom was on the ballot last November, and Minnesotans were clear: we will not go backwards. We listened to Minnesotans, held their stories with great care and tenderness, and came together to protect their rights. For all of the mothers, grandmothers, aunties, and advocates who fought before us and for our future generations, we will keep fighting to make sure everyone has access to safe, affordable reproductive health care.?
In January, Governor Walz signed the Protect Reproductive Options (PRO) Act into law, establishing reproductive freedom as a fundamental right for every Minnesotan.?
In April, Governor Walz signed the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act, ensuring that patients traveling to Minnesota for abortion care, and the providers who serve them, are protected from legal attacks and criminal penalties from other states.
Governor Walz travelled to Mankato to highlight investments made this session in Minnesota?s $4.4 billion fishing and outdoor recreation industry. Governor Walz fished on Madison Lake, where he caught 10 fish, and visited a state fish hatchery in Waterville.?
?We?re making the case that we have a lot to offer here in Minnesota ? including world-class fishing,?said Governor Walz.??By repairing and improving our state?s aging fish hatcheries and outdoor infrastructure, we?re ensuring Minnesota??s multi-billion-dollar fishing industry remains strong for decades to come.?
?If you?re looking for a new place to fish, Madison Lake is the place to be,??Governor Walz continued.??Nobody will believe our haul, so go see for yourself. The sun is shining and the fish are biting. Regardless of where you fish or what you catch, I hope all Minnesotans get outside and enjoy our lakes this summer.?
Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan celebrated Juneteenth Freedom Day, commemorating the official end of slavery in the United States. This year, Governor Walz signed a bill into law making Juneteenth an official holiday in the state of Minnesota.
"Juneteenth marks our country?s second Independence Day and recognizes our country?s full history. Today ? for the first time as an official state holiday in Minnesota ? we celebrate freedom, honor Black Americans and their history, and recommit to civil rights for all," said Governor Walz.
"Celebrating Juneteenth as an official state holiday for the first time reminds us that true justice does not come in one action ? it?s the ongoing work to deconstruct generations of systemic racism so that every Black Minnesotan can be afforded liberation that is long overdue," said Lt. Governor Flanagan.?"The history of Juneteenth is our shared history ? it is the truth and we need to teach about it. Thank you to all those who led the way to make Juneteenth a state holiday in Minnesota."
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