Week-in-Review Video
A message from your Senator
Constituents and friends,
It was another busy week at our state Capitol! We debated several bills on the Senate floor, most notably SF 4, which was Senate Republicans’ fourth attempt in the last two months to remove Governor Walz’s emergency powers. I voted against it – I support the Governor’s measured and science-backed response to COVID-19, and based on my first few months in office, I’m not at all confident in the ability of the legislature to rapidly and properly respond to pandemics and other emergencies.
We unanimously passed a bill to provide aid for the sanitary cleanup of former dry cleaning business sites, and ban the use of a dry-cleaning chemical that’s known to be a toxic air pollutant. The House passed the bill unanimously as well, so it’s now headed to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.
I’m excited to be starting a weekly infrastructure series on social media, motivated by my Republican colleagues’ unwillingness to take my input seriously whenever it goes against their entrenched, though non-expert, beliefs (which unfortunately happens often). The series will involve me and other experts talking directly to the public about Minnesota’s specific infrastructure needs, and the deadly-serious consequences of both short- and long-term inaction.
We take so much of our infrastructure for granted, especially the parts that are buried underground and hidden behind walls, but it facilitates every aspect of modern life and keeps us safe every day. If you’d like to learn more about it, and haven’t yet followed and/or liked my social media pages, they’re all linked through the Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram icons at the bottom of this email!
I introduced two new bills this week:
- SF 2079 is a long and multi-part transportation bill that includes financial appropriations, large-scale spending restrictions and guidance, student bus safety training requirements, electric bicycle language clarifications, and much more.
- SF 2080 is the Digital Fair Repair Act, also known as the Right to Repair policy. This legislation would allow Minnesotans to repair their own digital equipment, from cell phones to computers to refrigerators to tractors, by requiring manufacturers to provide owners and independent repair shops with access to repair information, manuals, and replacement parts – instead of limiting that access to the manufacturers themselves and a small number of repair shops, which makes repairs overly expensive and, oftentimes, very inaccessible. This is a nationally-known issue that is gaining momentum in several states but has yet to become law anywhere, so we want Minnesota to be among the first to pass it. Senator John Marty, a good friend who is highly knowledgeable about this issue, is a co-author on my bill, and we’re working together to advocate for this common-sense measure.
As usual, I had a busy week of meetings, which is my favorite part of being a Senator! Among many others, I met this week with advocates for progressive housing policy, officials from Hennepin County and the Minnesota Historical Society, addiction treatment professionals, the Commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget, several leaders from the City of Minnetonka’s government and Public Works department, Education Support Professionals from the Osseo School District, and a coalition of Senators and Representatives who are working to permanently protect reproductive rights in our state.
The Transportation Committee was busy again this week – we heard bills related to the state’s overall transportation spending, Metropolitan Council funding, and more, and received briefings from several state agencies, including the Department of Public Safety.
The Capital Investment Committee has still yet to meet for anything other than informational sessions, though as previously mentioned, we’re expecting our activity to pick up soon. I’m proud to be the chief author of bills for several local infrastructure projects in and near Senate District 44 that will require bonding funds, so I’m looking forward to the chance to advocate for them in committee hearings.
Community News & Events
Please join me, Representative Ginny Klevorn, and Representative Patty Acomb for our District 44 town hall tomorrow (Saturday) at 11 am! We’d love to hear your feedback and priorities. More details and the Zoom link can be found in the Facebook event.
The Minnetonka City Council will meet virtually on Monday, March 22 at 6:30 pm. The agenda and live-stream information can be found here.
The Plymouth City Council will meet virtually on Tuesday, March 23 at 7 pm. The agenda and live-stream/Zoom information can be found here.
COVID-19 Hotlines
- Hotline for health questions: 612-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903 (staffed 6 am to 8 pm daily)
- Hotline for school and childcare questions: 651-297-1304 or 1-800-657-3504 (staffed 7 am to 7 pm daily)
- Questions for workers and employers: 651-259-7114 or 800-657-3858
- Hotline if you experience or witness bias and/or discrimination: 1-833-454-0148 (staffed Monday-Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm)
Please don’t hesitate to contact me at any time with input, questions, or concerns!