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Dear Neighbor,

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I hope you had a safe and happy Fourth of July.?

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As of July 1, a number of laws passed during the 2024 legislative session have gone into effect. These laws aim to grow our economy and workforce, support Minnesota?s children, protect our environment, strengthen our elections, and more.

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New Laws

*Elections*?

Our democracy works best when all eligible Minnesotans have the opportunity to participate and make their voices heard. That?s why we passed legislation to protect Minnesotans? ability to participate in the democratic process, including the implementation of the Minnesota Voting Rights Act, which went into effect on May 18, 2024. The Minnesota Voting Rights Act works to ensure no one is denied an equal opportunity to vote by strengthening protections against voter suppression and vote dilution. Some other new laws include:?

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* Banning the use of ?deep fakes? to influence elections and disqualification for candidates found violating the ban?
* Making it easier for college students to vote?
* Expanding lobbyist registration to improve the transparency of money spent to influence elections?

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*Economic Development*?

Jobs with wages and benefits that can support a family are critical to growing the middle class. DFLers invested nearly $24 million for employment and training opportunities and business and community development initiatives. By partnering with local organizations, we are able to support and grow a more diverse and expansive workforce in Minnesota. This funding includes resources for Brooklyn Park to develop a biotech innovation district.?

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*Transportation*?

Another new law requiring clear, simplified language on driver?s exams aims to ensure written driver?s license exams test how well applicants understand the rules of the road rather than their ability to decode complex sentences. This will make the written driver?s exams more accessible and ensure our roads are being utilized by good drivers who understand the rules of the road.??

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*Supporting Minnesota students*

When our kids return from summer vacation and head back to school in the fall, there will be a handful of new laws in effect to focus more energy and resources on student success, notably when it comes to reading comprehension and literacy. On July 1, the Minnesota Reading to Ensure Academic Development (READ) Act went into effect, investing $37.22 million in ensuring all of Minnesota?s students are reading at grade level beginning in kindergarten. In addition to improving literacy, other new laws include:?

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* Annual reviews and revisions of personal learning plans to ensure students are on track to graduate??
* Allowing school districts to grant parental access to their student?s performance data?
* Enhancing the right to free speech for student journalists and freedom of the press in school-sponsored media?

* Adding Native cultural practice, observance, or ceremonies to the list of excused religious absences from school?
* Requiring schools to have a language access plan for students and families who speak languages other than English?
* Ensuring certain rights and protections for children of Minnesota Army National Guard and Air National Guard members when transferring between public schools?

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Outside of our K-12 schools, we made investments to support children at all stages of development, from ensuring access to food at home to supporting caregivers. Some of these investments delivered:?

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* $2 million for the Minnesota food shelf program?
* $2.39 million for Minnesota's regional food banks for purposes of the emergency food assistance program?
* $1 million for the American Indian food sovereignty funding program?
* $9.66 million for information technology improvements to the outdated Social Services Information System used by more than 6,000 workers around the state to track and manage child welfare casework?
* $1.13 million for the child care improvement grant program?
* $3.39 million for emergency services grants?
* $550,000 for the supporting relative caregiver grants program?

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*Environment*?

This year, the Legislature invested nearly $80 million of revenue from the Minnesota Lottery in more than 100 projects as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources to protect, conserve, preserve, and enhance Minnesota's air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources. Funding in the law includes:?

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* $20.3 million for land acquisition and recreation projects, including more than $5 million to develop state trails and $4.7 million for local parks, trails and natural areas?
* $11.3 million for 22 environmental education projects
* $6.9 million directed toward water resources research projects such as state flood and drought modeling and nutrient recovery from wastewater treatment plants research?
* $4.83 million for five projects addressing air quality, climate change and renewable energy
* And more.?

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You can learn more about the new laws that have gone into effect [ [link removed] ]here [ [link removed] ].?

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This is my last update until after the election. Whether running or not, legislators cannot use state resources for unsolicited communications during an election period because it might create an unfair advantage. While I won?t be able to send out these updates for a while, you can still follow me on my legislative Facebook [ [link removed] ] page.

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I?m still available to meet, help with state level problems, and discuss issues important to our community. Feel free to give my office a call or email me anytime. You can reach me at 651-296-4280 or [email protected]. Thank you.

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Sincerely,

Melissa Hortman






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Minnesota State Capitol Building [ [link removed] ]

*Rep. Melissa Hortman*

Speaker of the House

District 34B
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463 State Office Building
Saint Paul, MN 55155
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651-296-4280
www.house.mn/34b [ [link removed] ]
[email protected]

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