Category: SD36

Rep. Zack Stephenson (HD36A) Update: January 31, 2019

 

Rep. Zack Stephenson (36A) – Legislative Update

Dear Neighbors,

I hope this finds you warm- and safe! With these dangerously frigid temperatures upon us, the Minnesota Energy Assistance Program may help anyone you know who is experiencing difficulties with their heating bills. More information about the program and how to apply can be found here.

Additionally, if you are interested in learning more about how to reduce your own energy use, the Department has compiled some simple tips here.

It’s been a whirlwind of activity since I was sworn in to represent Coon Rapids and Champlin at the Capitol. I’ve appreciated hearing from so many constituents eager to see positive change. Continue reading “Rep. Zack Stephenson (HD36A) Update: January 31, 2019”

Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: January 28, 2019

 

Hello Friends and Neighbors,

As week three of the 2019 legislative session comes to a close, there have been a lot of new bills introduced from the rising costs of insulin to paid family leave for all Minnesotans to enhancing the teacher student relationships of those who need it most. As we look onto the beginning of week Four we are met with a Minnesota Snow Storm and below zero weather.  I hope you and your family have a safe week. Stay Warm.

2019 Legislature starts hearing bills while a number of press conferences highlight legislation

State offices were closed and committees did not meet so legislators were able to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday on January 21. The week started off with a number of press conferences, including one on paid family and medical leave, reducing the cost of insulin, the opioid epidemic, and gun violence reduction.

Committee work kicked into full gear with the hands-free cellphone bills heard in the Senate and House, an update from the Elder and Vulnerable Adult Abuse Prevention working group, Driver Assist Technology in commercial trucks, and stricter penalties for sexual assault. Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: January 28, 2019”

Senator John Hoffman’s column on DFL and MNGOP leaders needing to work together to improve Minnesota schools

This week, Sen. John Hoffman (SD-36) released the following column on the need for leaders of both parties to work in a bipartisan manner to fix Minnesota’s education system. 

Working together to improve our schools

Minnesota is known for our strong schools and great educational system. As a former school board member and long-time advocate for local schools, I’ve been an effective voice at the Capitol for Champlin, Brooklyn Park and Coon Rapids schools. But we can’t sit on our past successes; we can and will do better. 

We can find common ground by passing bipartisan legislation to make our schools safer through security upgrades, provide more funding for mental health support, address our special education deficiencies, look at creative ways to fund early childhood education, provide better paths for students in vocational/career technical training, and address reading proficiency.  Continue reading “Senator John Hoffman’s column on DFL and MNGOP leaders needing to work together to improve Minnesota schools”

Rep. Melissa Hortman (HD36B) Update: January 25, 2019

We’re wrapping up a busy third week of the legislative session. Here’s a quick update on a few items of note.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
At the start of this week, Minnesotans had the opportunity to honor and remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for his work in the fight for equity. The message that Dr. King taught is a challenging one. It’s not enough to resist injustice — but how a person resists matters.

Dr. King had so many memorable quotes, but this one kept coming to mind this week: “Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can only be done by projecting the ethic of love to the center of our lives.” Continue reading “Rep. Melissa Hortman (HD36B) Update: January 25, 2019”

Rep. Stephenson Announces New Plan to Deliver State Financial Assistance to Furloughed Federal Employees

St. Paul, Minnesota – In response to the federal government shutdown, Representative Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids) and Senator Matt Little (DFL-Lakeville) are fighting for federal employees affected financially in Minnesota.

Both legislators have introduced bipartisan legislation that would allow for federal employees who are furloughed, or working without pay, to apply for interest- free personal loans.  Minnesota is home to over 17,000 federal employees and contractors, and over 6,000 are currently furloughed or required to work without pay because of the shutdown.

“Today should be payday for thousands of federal employees across Minnesota,” Rep. Stephenson said. “Instead, workers are being forced to make impossible decisions about which bills to pay.  It’s time to release the hostages kept captive by the federal shutdown and give our federal workforce the financial security they’ve earned.”  Continue reading “Rep. Stephenson Announces New Plan to Deliver State Financial Assistance to Furloughed Federal Employees”

Rep. Stephenson & Sen. Little Propose Financial Relief, Loan Guarantee Program for Furloughed Federal Workers

St. Paul, MN –Representative Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids) and Senator Matt Little (DFL-Lakeville) have introduced legislation to enact a statewide loan guarantee program to assist federal employees affected financially by the government shutdown. Friday morning they will hold a press conference at the State Capitol to discuss the proposal.

Celia Hahn, a federal employee of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will share how she and her family have been impacted by the shutdown. Rick Beeson, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development of Sunrise Banks, will also be present to provide support.

What: Press Conference on HF XXX (house file number to be introduced today)

Where: Capitol Press Room, B971

Who: Representative Zack Stephenson, Senator Matt Little, Celia Hahn, TSA Employee, Rick Beeson with Sunrise Banks, Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, House Commerce Chair Laurie Halverson, legislators

When: Friday, January 25, 2019 at 9:00 AM

Speaker Melissa Hortman (HD36B) Update: January 18, 2018

Dear Neighbors,

The 2019 Legislative Session is underway. It is an honor and privilege to serve in the Minnesota House. As we embark upon the next two years at the State Capitol, I’m committed to serving in a way that reflects our shared values, and delivering solutions which give everyone a true opportunity to succeed.I also have the additional honor to serve as the Speaker of the House. In my view, the Speaker serves as the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives — not the DFL House or the Republican House, but the Minnesota House. It’s my role to help House members, regardless of party, govern effectively as a team and help Minnesotans succeed. We’ll do that by being inclusive and giving all legislators opportunities to lead, build consensus, and get the work done. We share a trust – to recognize that those who came before us built Minnesota to be a phenomenally successful state.  It’s our obligation to keep Minnesota strong for the generations who will follow us.

It was an honor to be joined at the swearing-in ceremony by Joan Growe, former Secretary of State, and former Speakers Dee Long and Margaret Anderson Kelliher — the other two women to serve as Speaker of the Minnesota House. Continue reading “Speaker Melissa Hortman (HD36B) Update: January 18, 2018”

Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: January 18, 2019

WEEK Two: Friday, Jan. 18

Hello Friends and Neighbors,

The second week of the 2019 session kicked off with a legislative press forum with Governor Walz and the four leaders from the Senate and House. There were also a number of press conferences on issues ranging from distracted driving, how the state is dealing with the federal shutdown, and legalizing recreational marijuana use.

The Minnesota Senate committees kicked into gear with a busy week of overviews and a few early bill hearings. Some of the topics under discussion included Health and Human Services fraud prevention investigations, disability waivers, energy storage, education budgets, a farm and agriculture overview, a hearing on disease affecting our deer population, prison sentencing modifications, and an overview on our November budget forecast.

Governor Walz and all four legislative caucuses expressed their commitment to pass some non-controversial bills early in the session, so legislative action is expected to ramp up in the coming weeks. Let’s stay involved and do this together. Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: January 18, 2019”

Starting Line: First bills of the 2019 Legislative Session

From the Minnesota House Public Information Service:

Hortman brings experience, quiet irreverence to speaker’s chair

ncoming Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman sits in a meeting in her office in St. Paul Dec. 17, 2018. The DFL state representative from Brooklyn Park is only the third woman ever to hold the gavel. Credit: Evan Frost, MPR News 2018

In between meetings on a recent Monday, Melissa Hortman took a moment to check the notifications piling up on her phone. She had a new message from the soon-to-be minority House Republican caucus about what committees they want each member to serve on.

“Not a lot of chicks in that group, not a single woman in here,” Hortman said, scrolling through their lists for each committee. “There’s a statute that says that we have to achieve geographic balance. There isn’t one that says that we have to do anything about gender balance.”

A DFL state representative from Brooklyn Park, Hortman made a splash in 2017 when she criticized a handful of male legislators for playing a card game in a side room while several female legislators of color were speaking on the House floor. Some Republicans were furious and demanded that she apologize, to which she responded: “I’m not sorry.”

View the complete January 7 article by Briana Bierschbach on the MPR News website here.