I hope you had a nice holiday weekend with your family. Our DFL team is back, and we are tackling a full docket of legislation, focused on building a strong foundation for our communities. Building on the successes of 2023, we remain committed to prioritizing quality education, accessible healthcare, and a secure job market. These investments will foster a thriving environment for families and grow the middle class.
MN Promise Act Info Session
County Commissioner Rena Moran, District 4 and Councilwoman Anika Bowie, Ward 1, and I are teaming up to host an informational session on the Minnesota Promise Act at the Rondo Library, on April 5th from 2:30-4:30 p.m.
The Providing Resources & Opportunity & Maximizing Investments in Striving Entrepreneurs (PROMISE) Act is a new small business revitalization program that will provide grants and loans to disadvantaged businesses located in certain areas of Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Greater-Minnesota.
Location: Rondo Community Library Space: Rondo Multipurpose Room
Date: Friday, April 5, 2024
Click this link for additional information and details on how to apply for PROMISE Act funds.
To read the PROMISE Act bill in its entirety click here.
Come join us to ask questions and learn firsthand how to apply for the program.
Justus Ramsey Stone House
Growing up in the Rondo neighborhood, I know how deeply rooted the Justus Ramsey Stone House is to the history of our community. I presented my bill, HF 3517, which would allocate funding for the relocation of the Justus Ramsey Stone House in the House Legacy Committee last week and am happy it will be considered for possible inclusion in a supplemental budget bill.
To further the conversation and underscore the need for funding to relocate the house, I'm partnering with local leaders and community advocates to host a press conference at the Rondo Commemorative Center this Friday, April 5th, at 12:30 PM. Your presence is warmly welcomed!
Star Tribune Opinion Piece
I recently wrote an in-depth opinion piece on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) consideration of terminating the joint cooperation agreement (JCA) between Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico. As a representative in the Minnesota House, I am committed to promoting a high quality of life and a wealth of economic opportunities for all Minnesotans. Investments in pivotal infrastructure, including airports, put us in a stronger position to lead the world economy and make us better trade partners.
Building a Clean Energy Future
In 2023, lawmakers answered the call from Minnesotans of all generations to take urgent action addressing our climate crisis by enacting a goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. To achieve this benchmark – one of the most ambitious in the nation – we need wind and solar farms to generate clean energy and transmission lines to carry that energy to the electric grid. There’s a big problem though: too many clean energy projects are stuck in a slow approval process. Today, about 51% of Minnesota’s electricity comes from carbon-free sources, but according to research, to reach our 100% goal, Minnesota must double the current pace at which new solar and wind energy sources are being developed.
That’s why I support the Minnesota Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act. This legislation – which has earned broad support from Minnesota utilities, clean energy advocates, and our partners in labor – will eliminate redundancies, increase transparency, and make Minnesota’s permitting process more efficient and consistent. Given Minnesota’s unpredictable weather, shaving even a couple of months off the permitting process could mean a difference of an entire year when it comes to construction. As addressing climate change becomes increasingly urgent, saving this time is more critical now than ever. Without upgrades to our decades-old energy permitting laws to meet the challenges we face today, our carbon-free ambitions may not become reality. The Minnesota Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act will help us meet this critical moment and remove barriers to the clean energy future all Minnesotans deserve.
Expanding Access to Affordable, High-Quality Health Care
All Minnesotans deserve to live healthy lives with economic security, and DFLers at the Capitol are committed to expanding access to affordable, quality health care. Unfortunately, too many Minnesotans currently can’t afford health insurance or have health insurance they can’t afford to use. Working families without employer-based insurance often face outrageous premiums and other out-of-pocket costs. For instance, many plans on the individual market have annual deductibles of $7,000 or higher. This puts Minnesotans in an impossible predicament, which leads to people avoiding care and results in poor health outcomes – sometimes with tragic consequences.
One plan to solve this problem impacting middle-class Minnesotans is the MinnesotaCare Public Option. It would allow all Minnesotans to access comprehensive health insurance coverage – with vision, dental, and more – with low out-of-pocket costs and a large network of quality medical providers. People enrolled in the Public Option would pay their own premiums – with significantly lower prices than what’s available currently on the individual market – determined on a sliding scale based on income.
MinnesotaCare has been a nation-leading, highly successful, and trusted health insurance program serving low-income working Minnesotans for over 30 years. The bill creating a MinnesotaCare Public Option – which would expand affordable health insurance to thousands of more Minnesotans – is advancing through the committee process in the House.
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