Dear Neighbors,
The cooler weather is a reminder that fall is right around the corner- and with that, comes back-to-school season. I’d like to wish all students, parents, families, teachers, administrators, and support staff an excellent 2019-2020 school year.
After hearing from residents in our community and across the state, state lawmakers passed a budget that makes new investments in every student in every public school. Despite challenges under one of the nation’s only divided state legislatures, our schools will see a per-student funding increase over the next two years, continued access to voluntary pre-k, and additional investments to help address soaring special education shortfalls.
There is much more work to do to provide a world-class education for every child, and I’ll keep advocating for students of all ages and abilities.
State Fair Poll Results
If you went to the State Fair this year and stopped by the Minnesota House of Representatives booth, you may have taken our annual opinion poll. Questions are always crafted by our nonpartisan House Public Information staff and are based on past bills and/or current “hot topics”. Although unscientific, I thought you might be interested in the results. Of note, the State Fair Poll found that 89.1% of respondents favored background checks on all gun sales, including private transactions and sales made at gun shows. This has been and continues to be a top priority for me as we look to the 2020 session.
Climate Change Panel
I’m excited to announce I’ll serve as a panelist at an upcoming event in Edina hosted by my colleague Rep. Heather Edelson. The Community Conversation on Climate Change will highlight communal solutions we can take together to combat and slow climate change through a variety of methods. Climatologist Paul Douglas will also join us. The event is free and open to the public. The details are listed below:
Monday September 23 at 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Edina City Hall, Council Chambers, 4801 W 50th St, Edina, MN 55424.
Keep in Touch
Please always feel free to reach out with any questions, input, or suggestions. I value your feedback.
Sincerely,
Steve Elkins
State Representative<