WASHINGTON — One officer described how rioters attempted to gouge out his eye and called him a traitor as they sought to invade the Capitol.
Another told of being smashed in a doorway and nearly crushed amid a “medieval” battle with a pro-Trump mob as he heard guttural screams of pain from fellow officers.
A third said he was beaten unconscious and stunned repeatedly with a Taser as he pleaded with his assailants, “I have kids.”
A fourth relayed how he was called a racist slur over and over again by intruders wearing “Make America Great Again” garb. Continue reading.
Rep. Jim Clyburn said it’s time for the president to embrace more aggressive changes to the Senate rules.
After months of setbacks and gridlock on voting rights, one of President Joe Biden’s top allies in Congress is calling for him to support amending the Senate filibuster.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) told POLITICO Biden “should endorse” the idea of creating a carveout to the legislative filibuster in the Senate for legislation that applies to the Constitution. In effect, the reform would make it possible for Democrats to pass their sweeping elections reform bill and another bill reauthorizing key sections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act with just Democratic support.
It’s a sentiment the congressman says he’s shared with White House counselor Steve Ricchetti and Office of Public Engagement Director Cedric Richmond as well. “I’ve even told that to the vice president,” Clyburn said. Continue reading.
Last week, the House adjourned special session after finishing up work to pass a bipartisan state budget. As the only divided state legislature in the country, and with several challenges operating remotely amid a global pandemic, I’m glad we could find common ground on strategies to help our families, students, workers, and small businesses recover from COVID-19, and stabilize our local economy so everyone in our state can thrive. Here’s an update on our work from the Capitol:
Health and Human Services Budget
With a background in health care delivery and as a member of the Health Finance and Preventative Health committees, I’ve worked extensively in this area of the budget. Our Health and Human Services budget aims to improve Minnesota’s health care system and expand access to affordable care. It invests in our public health infrastructure, strengthens behavioral and mental health services, addresses inequities in maternal and infant health outcomes, increases pay for personal care assistants (PCAs) who help people live independently, and includes several pieces of legislation I carried including increased telehealth investments, Medical Assistance (MA) coverage for enhanced asthma care services, and expanded MA coverage for post-partum care for new moms from 60 days to 12 months.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Rep. Rob Ecklund (DFL – International Falls), Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL – South St. Paul), House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL – Golden Valley), Rep. Sydney Jordan (DFL – Minneapolis), Rep. Patty Acomb (DFL – Minnetonka), Rep. Ami Wazlawik (DFL – White Bear Township), Rep. Kelly Morrison (DFL – Deephaven), Rep. Todd Lippert (DFL – Northfield), Rep. Ginny Klevorn (DFL – Plymouth), Rep. Jay Xiong (DFL – Saint Paul), Rep. Heather Keeler (DFL – Moorhead), Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn (DFL – Roseville), Rep. Samantha Vang (DFL – Brooklyn Center), Rep. Fue Lee (DFL – Minneapolis), Rep. Peter Fischer (DFL – Maplewood), Rep. Steve Sandell (DFL – Woodbury), Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL – Coon Rapids), Rep. Liz Reyer (DFL – Eagan), Rep. Erin Koegel (DFL – Spring Lake Park), Rep. Jamie Long (DFL – Minneapolis), Rep. Michael Howard (DFL – Richfield), and Rep. Emma Greenman (DFL – Minneapolis) issued the following statement calling for the resignation of Minnesota Board of Animal Health (BAH) President Dean Compart:
“Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) poses a critical threat to Minnesota’s wild white-tail deer population, and the Board of Animal Health has the responsibility to hold cervid farms in our state accountable for their role in its spread. Unfortunately, by failing to act, the BAH and its leadership have continued to let down those who enjoy deer hunting. Worse, future generations potentially won’t be able to enjoy these cherished traditions if CWD is allowed to spread, and based on the frequency at which the disease is identified in new areas of the state, unless urgent action is taken, it almost certainly will.
“All Minnesotans deserve a healthy deer herd and comprehensive solutions to protect it. If the deer farms won’t be accountable to the BAH, and the BAH won’t be accountable to Minnesotans, it’s time for BAH President Dean Compart to do the honorable thing and resign.”
I hope this email finds you well and you had a chance to enjoy the beautiful Father’s Day Weekend.
Summer is in full swing and it was a beautiful day in Excelsior on Saturday. I got to cheer on the triathletes competing in the Lake Minnetonka Triathlon and check out the Excelsior Flea Market & Outdoor Market before special session got underway for the day. The Excelsior Flea Market & Outdoor Market is open every Saturday 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. in June-August, and it’s a great opportunity to enjoy seasonal produce and find special treasures.
LaMettry’s Collision, a Minnesota-based auto body business, donated a newly refurbished vehicle to a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, according to a press release.
“It is a privilege and honor to be part of a company and an industry that is willing to invest time and dollars to make this happen. It is humbling that people from various industry entities work in harmony for what is ultimately for the common good of our community,” LaMettry’s president of operations Darrell Amberson says in the release.
Teri, a Marine veteran from Minnesota, received a Honda Odyssey that was donated by American Family, and fully restored by LaMettry’s Collision and its industry partners. Continue reading.
I hope this email finds you and yours well. With vaccination rates increasing and COVID-19 cases trending downward, a return to a normal summer is looking more and more likely.
Our work continues in the state legislature. Minnesota’s portion of the federal American Rescue Plan dollars arrived in the state in early May, which allowed House and Senate Majorities, along with the governor, to reach a bipartisan agreement on budget ‘targets’, or our general framework on May 17. Although we have officially adjourned to meet our constitutional deadline, legislators haven’t stopped working to craft the finer details of the budget. Our current timeline has us working towards a special session in early or mid-June.
I hope this finds you and yours well, and with an opportunity to enjoy the budding trees and chirping birds with spring in full bloom in Minnesota.
Budget negotiations in the Legislature are ongoing. With less than three days until adjournment, we’re working hard in the House to wrap up major bills and find compromise with the Senate on various provisions in each major area of the state budget.
As you know, I’ve been focused primarily on the environment and natural resources portion of the budget, as I’m serving as a House conferee to find a deal with my Senate counterparts. You may have seen in the news recently that Senate Majority members have indicated their intent to cut funding for state parks and closing the Minnesota Zoo if any clean cars provision is a part of final negotiations, despite a recent ruling that permits the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency the authority to implement clean car planning.
It’s been a busy week in the Minnesota House. As we near the final days of session, conference committees made up of House and Senate members are in full swing. I’ve been busy participating in the Environment Conference Committee advocating for the needs of our state and 33B communities in bipartisan negotiations with my Senate colleagues. As we approach the end of the legislative session, I am advocating for a final budget that prioritizes students, families, small businesses, and communities so we can recover from the pandemic and thrive once it’s behind us.
Safely Ending COVID-19 Restrictions
Yesterday, Governor Walz announced a timeline to end most of Minnesota’s COVID-19 restrictions. The three-step plan begins today. The final step is lifting the statewide masking requirement once 70 percent of Minnesotans who are 16 or older get vaccinated or on July 1, whichever comes first.
We’re buttoning up budget bills in the House and conference committees have begun to meet. These committees are comprised of five House members and five Senate members to reconcile differences within each major area of the budget; ie. Taxes, Education, Transportation, etc. I’m pleased to share I’ve been appointed to the Environment and Natural Resources Conference Committee. I’m looking forward to this new opportunity in the House.
We have much work to do to ensure protections for our land, water and wildlife so that they will thrive for generations to come. The House omnibus includes my bill to create stable funding to research, prevent and treat aquatic invasive species in our lakes and another to continue the popular Lawns to Legumes program.
