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Dear neighbors,
I hope everyone is enjoying the nice May weather. I want to start off by wishing all our Minnesota mothers a very happy Mother?s Day!
We?re fast approaching the end of the 2024 legislative session? we?re constitutionally required to adjourn no later than May 20. Between now and then, we still have a lot of work to do, and we?re working around the clock to pass policy bills that improve the lives of middle and working class Minnesotans.
Here?s a look at what we?ve been working on recently:
House Floor Votes
In case you missed it, here are nonpartisan summaries of the bills we?ve pass off the House Floor recently:
- A broadly bipartisan bill investing $240 million in our outdoors, clean water, parks and trails, and cultural heritage from the Legacy Amendment fund.?
- A K-12 Education bill that boosts resources for the READ Act to improve literacy, establishes physical and mental health as a state standard in K-12 schools, and enhances support for teachers.?
- An Environment and Natural Resources bill with new investments in tree planting, improving air quality, holding repeat polluters accountable, and tackling solid waste and recycling.?
- A Children and Families bill that reforms our child protection system and builds on historic investments in economic support for families, food security, and emergency shelter.?
- A Transportation, Labor, and Housing bill that invests in railroad safety and public transit, enhances worker rights and safety, improves housing stability for renters and seniors, and funds homelessness prevention.?
- A Workforce and Economic Development bill, securing investments for employment and training programs,?
- A Taxes bill improving the tax system for working class Minnesotans by expanding the Child Tax Credit and creating a direct tax filing system.?
- An Elections bill that strengthens our elections for local units of government.
Advancing Equal Rights
On Monday, the House Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration passed legislation proposing a state constitutional amendment to codify the right to equality. The legislation, known as the Minnesota Equal Rights Amendment, would submit the proposed amendment to voters at the 2026 state general election, and if approved, would take effect January 1, 2027.?
The Minnesota Equal Rights Amendment would guarantee every Minnesotan the same rights under the law, and codify protections against discrimination by the state based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, or sex ? including pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.
In Minnesota, we believe in freedom, fairness, and equality for everyone. This important legislation will once and for all codify those beliefs and values into law. Across the country we are seeing people?s rights and freedoms being rolled back, and this legislation will ensure that that doesn?t happen in Minnesota.
Statehood Day
This Saturday, May 11, 2024, Minnesota celebrates 166 years of statehood. The Minnesota State Flag and Seal approved by the State Emblems Redesign Commission early this year will become the official state emblems. This is a culmination of months gathering input from and engaging with Minnesotans to find consensus on a flag and seal that represents the best of all of us.?
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