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If you'd like to contact Rep. Dippel, please do NOT reply to this email. Rep. Dippel can be reached at [email protected]
Hello from the State Capitol,
It has been more than a month since two beautiful children were killed and others were injured after a mentally unstable gunman opened fire at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis. It is so tragic that violence by mentally ill individuals is taking place in our society.
Every child deserves to feel safe at school. This is why I continue to support school security grants for both public and private schools, as well as ensuring that they are able to obtain a school resource officer if they’d like one present at their facility.
Every family deserves peace in their neighborhood. This is why we need to start holding criminals accountable and stop being lenient with repeat offenders, and recognize we have a mental health crisis in our state and more treatment options are needed to prevent future crimes.
We must come together to protect our kids and our communities.
LOCAL VISITORS
I had the pleasure of meeting with RISE in Cottage Grove recently.
RISE provides life-enriching programs and employment services for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, making a lasting difference in our community. I am committed to protecting the most vulnerable in our community and will work to make sure they have every opportunity to thrive. Changes were made by a previous legislature that has led to fewer employment options for those RISE serves, and I pledged to help them going forward in any way I can.
I also met recently with IBEW and the Operating Engineers.
I was proud to vote for a pair of bills last session that support new construction projects and allow the industry to grow.
I also had the opportunity to meet with Hastings leadership to discuss our community priorities — including addressing PFAS concerns and the upcoming Highway 61 project.
At the state level, I was pleased to help secure some funding last session to help Hastings address its PFAS issues, and I will be investigating other funding mechanisms to continue helping the City.
The Cottage Grove Food Truck Festival was a hit this year!
It was good to see so many families and neighbors out enjoying the food, music, and community.
At a time when many “smaller” cities are losing local media sources, Hastings is lucky to have solid newspaper and radio coverage. I recently stopped in to KDWA radio to discuss issues and answer questions from a legislative perspective.
A good time was had at a recent tour of the Carpenters Union Local 322.
I’m very grateful for the work they do to build up our communities and support good jobs here in Minnesota.
Constituent visits are very important to me. Jordan recently stopped by to discuss ag zoning issues that are inconsistent between county and city governments.
Finally, I was honored to speak at a Charlie Kirk memorial service. Hundreds of people showed up to mourn the loss of a man who was murdered exercising his right to speak freely.
Have a good weekend,
Tom
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