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As of my writing this, we are still waiting for compromises to be reached on issues that I know have been top-of-mind for many of you this session, whether it?s single-issue bills like Sports Betting and Charitable Gambling, or broader bills like our Health Supplemental Budget and the 2024 Tax Bill.
Things can change at a moment's notice this weekend, and you can rest assured I?ll give you a full update once the dust clears.
Here?s the latest from St. Paul, as things currently stand:
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Investing in St. Cloud
The good news? I?ve secured several key investments for St. Cloud in major pieces of legislation. The caveat? Nothing is guaranteed until Governor Walz signs the bill into law.?
I?ll start with our most ?for sure? investment. We just passed our K-12 Education Supplemental Budget in the House, which includes legislation I authored with Senator Aric Putnam to invest $250,000 for a grant to the St. Cloud school district to construct an EMS education facility suitable for coursework in emergency medical services. This bill now heads to the Senate.
Another likely investment is in our final Higher Education Supplemental Budget and Policy Bill. As Vice Chair of the House Higher Education Committee, I?ve leveraged my position to ensure that our state?s systems of higher learning are the best they can possibly be, especially in Central Minnesota. Our bill does a lot to help increase access to higher education, but it also has a crucial component specifically for our community - legislation to support the CentraCare Medical School.?
Once passed (which it?s expected to do), our bill will unlock $10 million in funding to help support the CentraCare and University of Minnesota Medical School in St. Cloud. This medical school won?t just be a win for St. Cloud, but for Central Minnesota. Building this campus is a crucial component for increasing access to healthcare in greater Minnesota and educating the next generation of rural physicians.
An additional $4 million for the medical school is included in our 2024 Capital Investment Bill - which has a longer road ahead before it becomes law. Also included in this bill is $3.2 million to improve our Riverwalk infrastructure downtown - the first of many investments I?ll be fighting for to help redevelop the heart of St. Cloud!
We could pass our Higher Education bill at any moment, as the House and Senate have agreed to do. For the Capital Investment Bill, we?re still waiting for that final compromise, but I?ll be pushing for this priority to make it over the finish line in the coming days.?
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?From the Capitol? Radio Interview
It?s highly likely that this is this year?s last ?From the Capitol? interview that actually has me speaking from the Capitol! This week, I sat down with Kelly Cordes to go over the road ahead for the final days of session, including how touching and important that last day at the Capitol can be with retirement speeches.
I also cover how things currently stand with the Sports Betting and Charitable Gambling bills, and provide an overview on the Junk Fees legislation that was sent to Governor Walz.?
You can listen to our conversation here.
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