Dear Neighbors,
I hope you’re enjoying the start of summer! With a wet and cold spring, it took a little longer than we may have liked, but it’s finally here. Right now, my whole yard and house are full of the scent of lilacs, and my husband and I are enjoying dinners on the deck. June is an awfully nice time to be in Minnesota!
The Minnesota House of Representatives finished its work on a new two-year budget for the State of Minnesota during a one-day special session that ended on May 25th.
We’re pleased to have enacted a budget that provides strong funding for education and secures health care for more than one million Minnesotans. While the budget didn’t contain everything DFLers wanted, this bipartisan agreement with Governor Walz and Senate Republicans is in the best interest of Minnesotans.
Top highlights of the budget include:
- Increasing funding for E-12 and higher education, including an increase in the E-12 funding formula, preserving 4,000 pre-K slots, and freezing the special education cross subsidy
- Securing health care for 1.2 million Minnesotans by continuing the provider tax
- The strongest wage theft prevention and enforcement measures in the country
- New investments in local government and county government aid
- $40 million in funding for the Border-to-Border Broadband Grant Program
- Funding for new corrections officers to increase safety
- Securing full funding for election security.
My e-updates this summer will cover each of the 10 budget bills in greater detail, so keep an eye on your inbox!
E-12 Bill Signing
Joining Governor Walz as he signed the E-12 budget bill into law
On May 30th, I joined Governor Walz, students, teachers, and other legislators as Gov. Walz signed the E-12 education budget bill into law. The law invests $543 million in E-12 education funding—providing Minnesota schools with more resources per child to keep up with inflation — preserves funding for 4,000 pre-kindergartners, and makes significant investments in special education.
House DFLers believe all of our children deserve a world-class education, no matter where they live in our state. That’s why we fought for strong investments in every student in every public school. I was honored to participate in Thursday’s bill signing!
Upcoming Meetings for New Apartments by Riverdale Transit Station
Construction is currently underway on a new transit-oriented apartment development next to the Riverdale Transit Station on Northdale Boulevard. This new development, known as Riverdale Station, will include two buildings – “Nova”, a 71-unit mixed-income building and “Lyra”, a 180-unit market rate building. This project, completed by Minneapolis-based Sherman Associates, involved significant collaboration with the City of Coon Rapids, Anoka County, and the Metropolitan Council.
Pre-leasing for the “Nova” apartments will kick off in early June. Representatives from the property will begin accepting applications for both market rate and income/rent restricted apartments at two upcoming In-Take Meetings. These in-take meetings will take place Tuesday, June 18th and Thursday, June 20th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Riverwind Community Building, located at 2701 Northdale Blvd. in Coon Rapids. Anyone interested in reserving an apartment can come to one of these meeting dates and fill out an application. No pre-registration is required.
You can learn more here.
Minnesota Grown Encourages CSA Food Subscriptions
There’s still time to enjoy fresh, local produce, meat and even cut flowers all season long! The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Minnesota Grown Program encourages consumers to purchase shares in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms now while they are still available.
CSA farms sell subscriptions or memberships to individuals or families who pay up front to receive a share of produce, generally once per week for 14-20 weeks. Typically a full share is enough to feed four vegetable-loving adults. Many farms will offer full, half, and even mini-shares. Some include seasonal recipes, e-newsletters, and on-the-farm events like pumpkin picking in the cost of a share.
By joining a CSA farm, you are showing your support for local business, connecting with a local farmer, and providing your family with fresh produce.
The Minnesota Grown Directory includes 87 CSA farms with 142 drop sites around the state. Consumers can quickly find their CSA and pick up locations by visiting www.minnesotagrown.com. They may also order a free copy of the printed Minnesota Grown Directory by calling 1-800-657-3878 or by going online to www.minnesotagrown.com/order.
As always, please contact me anytime with your input. I appreciate hearing from you! You can reach me at 651-296-4280 or at rep.melissa.hortman@house.mn. You can also keep up with what’s happening at the Capitol by liking my legislative Facebook page. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Melissa Hortman
Legislative Updates in Multiple Languages
Links to subscribe to legislative updates in non-English languages are available below:
Hmoob | Soomaaliga | Español