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 Neighbors,
In addition to getting new bills ready for our fast-approaching legislative session (starts February 12th!), I?ve been in our community meeting with advocates, leaders, and residents to identify how we can build on our historic accomplishments from last year to address the unique challenges and opportunities facing Minnesotans. We?ve held several town halls in the district over the last few months (and more are coming - see below), and I?ve thoroughly enjoyed meeting with you all.
From paid family medical leave to providing free school meals for students, through codifying reproductive freedom, providing emergency funding for food shelves across the state, and putting a plan in place to transition our electric grid to 100% clean electricity by 2040, we?re ensuring that Minnesota is the best place to live, work, and raise a family. Thank you for all of your efforts, and I?m looking forward to continuing working together for St. Louis Park and Minnesota in 2024.?
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Recent St. Louis Park Activities?
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to spend the day with Principal Kari Schwietering, students, and educators at Peter Hobart Elementary School (where my kids went!). I got to visit and observe a dozen or so classes with a team of teachers and administrators. I was so impressed with the incredible work going on there. I was particularly inspired by the work of a 4th grade classroom I visited, where they designed a diorama of how an I-94 Rondo land bridge might look. While the diorama was awesome (see photo), the students discussing their land use decisions and why certain buildings were in specific places was even more impressive. What an incredible learning experience these kids are having!
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I had so much fun touring the incredible Youth In Government event at the Capitol put on by YMCA Center for Youth Voice. During the four day event, thousands of students are involved standing up and running a complete state government. I ran into St. Louis Park Public Schools students James and Erik at the Supreme Court. They?re part of the 47 member SLP delegation - I was told by the organizers that SLP is by far the fastest growing delegation!
On MLK Jr. Day, I participated in the 2nd Annual National Day of Racial Healing Event at Westwood Nature Center. St. Louis Park and Benilde high school students did a great job facilitating really meaningful, and sometimes challenging, table discussions. There were powerful words from Lt. Governor Flanagan and St. Louis Park Mayor Nadia Mohamed as the keynote speakers. Thank you to St Louis Park Public Schools and the City of St. Louis Park for hosting and organizing this event.
At the Twin Cities Boys & Girls Clubs, we heard from Club Changemakers about their projects on mental health, poverty, food insecurity, and homelessness. We all benefit when young people speak up and shape the future they want to live in.
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Cold Weather Rule
While, overall, it?s been a crazily mild winter, I still wanted to include a quick reminder about Minnesota?s ?cold weather rule? now in effect, which protects residents from having their electric or natural gas service shut off between October 1 and April 30.
To ensure your service is safe from disconnection, you must make and keep a payment plan agreed to by your utility provider. More information is available on the Minnesota Department of Commerce?s website.
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You?re Invited to a Town Hall!
On? February 3rd, I?ll be hosting a town hall at the St. Louis Park Public Library from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. to deliver updates from St. Paul, answer questions about the 2023 legislative session, share some of my priorities for next session, and discuss any topics or issues you may have in mind. There will be a special focus on housing and affordable housing related topics.
Please come if you can!
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51st Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Last week marked the 51st anniversary of the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade, which revolutionized reproductive freedom in the United States. For 49 years, a person's right to an abortion was the law of the land ? and in Minnesota, it still is. As a member of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, I am committed to protecting Minnesotans' reproductive freedoms. It is your right to decide if, when, and how to become a parent.
Volunteer Opportunity in St. Louis Park
The Community Emergency Response Team is a Federal Emergency Management Agency program that supports the idea and importance of community volunteers and citizen preparation. Currently, it includes 31 volunteer community members who are trained to help in the event of a disaster. This includes providing immediate assistance to victims, organizing volunteers and assisting in the collection of information to allow professional responders to better prioritize resources. In addition to disaster response, CERT members serve as a resource for community events where volunteers are needed for multiple roles.
To learn more about CERT or about volunteering with the program, contact Brian Oberschmid at [email protected] or 952.924.2598.
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If you have questions, ideas, or feedback that you?d like to share, please don?t hesitate to reach out. You can email me at [email protected] or call (651) 296-7026. For more regular updates, you can subscribe to these legislative updates if you haven?t already, here, and you can also ?like? and follow my official State Representative Facebook page.
Sincerely,
Larry Kraft
State Representative
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Representative Larry Kraft
515 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
Phone: 651-296-7026
Email: [email protected] (replies to this newsletter are not monitored)
Website:?https://www.house.mn.gov/46A
Legislative Assistant:?Caleb Rohrer 651-297-7025
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