We are in the final few days of the 2024 Legislative Session, and I have been working hard to deliver results for our communities and pass legislation that improves Minnesotans’ lives. We will be meeting throughout the weekend up to our Monday, May 20 deadline, and I will update you on the final status of bills as they head to the Governor’s desk.
We’ve now passed all our major supplemental budgets. You can read these nonpartisan summaries of our work on K-12 Education, Children & Families, Transportation, Labor, and Housing, Higher Education, Judiciary and Public Safety, State and Local Government and Veterans, Elections, Human Services, Workforce and Economic Development, Environment and Natural Resources, Agriculture, Commerce, and Energy, Health, and Taxes.
These are all great bills, but as a member of the Workforce Development, Taxes, Transportation, and Environment and Natural Resources committees, I’m especially proud of our efforts there.
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As we continue to pass our remaining House proposals, House and Senate members are wrapping up conference committees to craft consensus legislation for where we differ in these issue areas.
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House DFLers are also moving forward on several other important pieces of legislation. We’re working on legislation that puts tougher penalties on straw purchases for firearms and banning binary triggers, updating our adult-use cannabis legalization legislation to prepare for a safe, well-regulated legal market, the African American Family Preservation Act, a great tenants rights package, and a bill supporting emergency medical services, especially in rural areas.
As Speaker Hortman said in response to an eight-hour Republican filibuster on Wednesday, “Minnesotans sent us here to deliver results and build a state that works better for everyone. The Rules of the Minnesota House of Representatives protect both the minority's right to be heard and the majority's right and responsibility to govern. We will continue to give the minority ample time to discuss measures on the floor, but ultimately, we will complete the work of the session”
I couldn’t agree more, and I am thankful for the Speaker’s leadership as we move forward with our 2024 budget bills and legislation that protects Minnesotans’ equal rights.
As we wrap up this year’s legislative session, I want to thank my intern, Emma Davie, for her work this session! She was a brilliant addition to the team, and I wish her well as she finishes her degree at the University of Minnesota.
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I’m proud to say that over the past two years, I’ve delivered the following for our district and area:
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$3.192 million in direct property tax cuts to Blue Earth, Le Sueur, and Nicollet Counties
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Child and Working Family Credit expanded to an additional 8,000+ people in District 18a for an additional $8.8 million in savings
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Began closing the gap after years of chronic underfunding of our schools, with over $13 million in new funding heading to school districts in District 18a in 2024, and over $16 million in 2025
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$1 million to help keep Pathstone Living and Benedictine Living Community’s doors open
I’m incredibly proud of the work we did and the progress we made. I look forward to sharing more of these results, as well as the results from my legislative survey, over the next few weeks once session has wrapped up.
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