Meeting with long-term care centers around the district has been a top priority as they face daunting employee shortages. Caring for our elderly is an important career that should be celebrated and those that take it on should feel a sense of accomplishment in the work they do. I have heard a number of great ideas during these meetings on what we can do at the legislature to address these issues.

I have also been hearing from a number of our Sheriffs sharing their concerns about staffing issues they are facing. To address this on Thursday House and Senate Republicans unveiled our public safety package which includes 17 different bills from 15 different Republican authors across the state. Confronting the criminal threat would include new laws to add a new crime of carjacking to state statute, increase penalties for fleeing police in a motor vehicle, align fentanyl to the same weight thresholds and penalties as heroin, and increase sentences for those convicted with at least two prior crimes of violence.

We continue to throw our support behind our state?s law enforcement officers with robust recruitment, training, and retention plans. The Safe & Sound Minnesota plan provides $1 million for Pathway to Policing, the award-winning program that brings new recruits into public safety from other careers. There is also included $5 million for college scholarships and technology to help law enforcement students prepare for their role and $15 million for bodycams for law enforcement departments.

This weekend I will be back in the district attending Sibley County Republican?s BPOU convention. I look forward to speaking with everyone in attendance and sharing what we can do to get Minnesota on the right track. Your input is so important to the legislative process and even if you can?t make it to the capitol in person, please share your thoughts with me at [email protected] or 651-296-4228.