Dear Neighbors,
I hope you are staying safe and healthy. After more than a year of a pandemic, it’s looking more and more like a typical, wonderful Minnesota summer is ahead of us. COVID vaccines are safe, effective, and are bringing back a sense of normalcy that we have been missing for so long. If you haven’t gotten your vaccine yet, visit the Vaccine Connector to find a vaccine site near you. The state also has a number of community vaccination sites that are accepting walk-ins.
On another happy note, today is my birthday! I am officially past the half-century mark, and I intend to celebrate my birthday by eating chocolate cake in between negotiation meetings and phone calls.
One year since the murder of George Floyd
Tuesday, May 25 marked the one-year anniversary of the tragic murder of George Floyd, and it’s clear there is so much work left to do to ensure Black Lives Matter in Minnesota. We took the first steps in passing police reforms last year, but the calls for justice and a better future are loud and clear, and we have a long road ahead of us to deliver systemic change. As we recover from the pandemic, we must address the violence, disinvestment, and lack of opportunity in our communities.
House DFLers remain committed to addressing our state’s deep racial inequities and delivering a fair justice system and safe communities for all Minnesotans — no matter what we look like or where we live.
Memorial Day
Monday, May 31 is Memorial Day — a day to recognize and honor those who made the greatest sacrifice and gave their lives in service to our country.
COVID restrictions are nearly behind us, but to be safe, the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) made the decision several months ago to hold a virtual Memorial Day program again this year. MDVA is again partnering with TPT to create a 30-minute Memorial Day program entitled “Reflections: Memorial Day 2021” that will be broadcast across the state on TPT’s Minnesota Channel at 8 p.m. on Monday, May 31 and again on Sunday, June 6 at 8 a.m. A link will also be available on their website to view the program online any time. Minnesota’s three State Veterans Cemeteries remain open and visitors are welcome to visit every day, and especially on Memorial Day when American flags will be displayed along the entrance street and on all graves in the Cemeteries.
Bipartisan agreement on joint budget targets
On Monday, May 17, I joined Governor Walz and Senate Majority Leader Gazelka to announce an agreement on bipartisan budget targets that prioritize students, families, workers, and small businesses.
After a year of unprecedented challenges, we have the resources to help the Minnesotans who have sacrificed the most while investing in a Minnesota that works better for everyone. This budget makes significant investments in E-12 education to help our students recover from a difficult year and works to close our opportunity gaps.
House DFLers also remain committed to including meaningful criminal justice reforms in our final budget. Those reforms are an essential component of this budget agreement.
We are able to make significant investments in education, health care, and economic security for Minnesotans because of the support of federal funds from President Biden and Democrats in Congress. These investments will help us recover from the pandemic, but they are only one time. There is more work to be done to make ongoing investments and ensure every Minnesotan can thrive into the future.
Minnesota has the only divided legislature in the country, and COVID-19 and late guidance on the use of federal funds added more complexity to the budget process than in past years. While this agreement does not contain everything we would have liked, we worked together and achieved a compromise that is in the best interests of Minnesotans.
With the joint budget targets complete, members of the House and Senate conference committees have convened working groups to complete the individual budget bills that will be taken up in a June special session. You can learn more about the budget agreement here.
As always, please contact me anytime with your input. I appreciate hearing from you! You can reach me at 651-296-4280 or 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