Dear Friends and Neighbors,
There is so much I am grateful for this holiday season. I have a loving wife, a daughter who consistently amazes me and makes me a proud father everyday, and thanks to you I get to be your state Senator.
I want to pause and thank you for this past year representing you in the Minnesota Senate. It is a privilege and I never take it for granted. Your input is invaluable and while we won’t always be in full agreement on all issues, we can always agree we have much to be thankful for in being able to call Minnesota home.
As the country slows down for a few days while we celebrate Thanksgiving, Let us each remember our military women and men serving our country. Many on distant shores. Also, those facing difficulties in day to day life. It is a precious time for family, friends and colleagues. Enjoy!
Small Business Saturday is November 28th. This Saturday is the day in Minnesota when we officially recognize and encourage people to visit our local small businesses. It’s even more … it’s supporting jobs, powering the economy, and invigorating our communities. Small businesses deserve our support year round. What are your favorite local small businesses? Please visit one or more this weekend.
Thank you again and be safe in your travel! Happy Holidays!
Best,
John
2020 Bonding Bill
On October 21, Governor Walz signed into law an economic development package totaling $1.87 billion in stimulus to create jobs, invest in critical infrastructure, and rehabilitate public assets throughout the state including higher education institutions, clean water infrastructure, roads and bridges, parks, trails, and public safety. This package, which included 10 projects that were bills I authored or co-authored will be a vital boost for Minnesota’s economy.
This Bonding Bill will create good-paying jobs and long-term economic development throughout the state and our community, including around 500 jobs in our area. The bill includes state funding for several local projects, including $30 million to build the State Emergency Operations Center in Blaine, as well as $4 million for the National Sports Center. Anoka Ramsey Community College will be receiving $16 million. Local infrastructure included $1.5 million for design of a bridge on 109th over Central Avenue, $1.5 million for a bridge for access from East River Road to Highway 10, and $8.4 million to upgrade Highway 10.
Additional bonding will provide investments that address major needs facing Minnesota. Approximately $100 million will be going to Housing Infrastructure Bonds to increase the state’s affordable housing stock. Approximately $300 million will be going to Trunk Highway Bonds, to help maintain roads and bridges throughout the state. Despite these investments, with over $5 billion in requests, many well-deserving projects will still need funding going forward.
Covid Update:
Numbers have continued to rise in infection rates and hospitalizations. Below is a summary of the state report:
Minnesota is seeing a continued dramatic rise in cases and test positivity that will continue to lead to increasing hospitalizations
and deaths; additional mitigation strategies are needed. The rise in test positivity, hospitalizations, and deaths confirm increasing
disease activity. Minnesota is in the red zone for cases, indicating 101 or more new cases per 100,000 population, with the 10th
highest rate in the country. Minnesota is in the red zone for test positivity, indicating a rate at or above 10.1%, with the 12th highest
rate in the country.
- Minnesota has seen an increase in new cases and an increase in test positivity.
- Hospitalizations continue to rise and exceeded 1,000 new hospitalizations, by far the highest at any time in the pandemic.
- Viral transmission is intense throughout the state with the highest incidence rates in multiple counties in the western half of the state; counties in western Minnesota also have larger increases in cases, higher test positivity rate, and increases in test positivity.
- The following three counties had the highest number of new cases over the last 3 weeks: 1. Hennepin County, 2. Ramsey County, 3. Anoka County. These counties in the Minneapolis CBSA represent 33.3% of new cases in Minnesota, but the greatest growth in cases is outside of the Twin Cities area.
- 100% of all counties in Minnesota have moderate or high levels of community transmission (yellow, orange, or red zones), with 87% having high levels of community transmission (red zone).
- During the week of Oct 26 – Nov 1, 20% of nursing homes had at least one new resident COVID-19 case, 44% had at least one new staff COVID-19 case, and 6% had at least one new resident COVID-19 death.
- Minnesota had 440 new cases per 100,000 population, compared to a national average of 209 per 100,000.
- Current staff deployed from the federal government as assets to support the state response are: 8 to support operations activities from FEMA; 21 to support medical activities from ASPR; and 1 to support operations activities from USCG.
- Between Oct 31 – Nov 6, on average, 146 patients with confirmed COVID-19 and 96 patients with suspected COVID-19 were reported as newly admitted each day to hospitals in Minnesota. An average of greater than 95% of hospitals reported either new confirmed or new suspected COVID patients each day during this period.
The next Legislative Session will begin on Tuesday, January 5, 2021.
It is my greatest honor to represent you the citizens of Brooklyn Park, Champlin and Coon Rapids here at our great state capitol. In addition to representing you, I absolutely enjoy it when you come visit.So come on down, reach out and tell me what matters to you so I can continue working on your behalf. You can reach me by email at sen.john.hoffman@senate.mn, phone by 651-296-4154 or just stop by. I am at 95 University Avenue Suite 2231 in the Minnesota Senate Building
Sincerely,
Senator John Hoffman
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to call my office at 651-296-4154 or by e-mail at jhoffman@senate.mn
Bonding for our Communities:
This an important and robust bill that is long overdue. Working with both parties and between the House and Senate, I’ve brought more than $35 million to invest in our communities. These investments ensure access to safe drinking water, housing that is affordable, public safety, and upkeep for the higher education institutions that prepare our future workforce in all four corners of the state. It will not only get people back to work during the pandemic but makes vital safety improvements to local roads and interchanges, provides more accessibility to Mississippi Point Park, Three River’s Park, Rice Creek Regional Trail, and updates the Nursing and Business Building on the Coon Rapids campus.
I have been a strong advocate for improvements to Champlin’s Mississippi Point Park for many years. In fact, I am the chief author of this provision to make the park more ADA accessible through a better boat docking system, improved grading to create usable open space and improved drainage. I am pleased the 2020 bonding bill includes funding to upgrade the picnic pavilion, stabilize the shoreline, provide improved and more accessible parking, and add to the Mississippi River Trail system. It also contains funds to expand and make more accessible to the Brooklyn Park Three Rivers Park District – Mississippi Gateway Regional Park and Rice Creek Regional Trail system. These investments in our communities will expand opportunities for all citizens to enjoy and learn about nature.
As we all know, the heavy traffic volumes and signals at Fairoak Avenue and Thurston Avenue, U.S. Highway 10/169 contributes to severe traffic back-ups, travel delays, and more than 100 crashes per year with at least one crash during a peak period, resulting in delays stretching for miles. Pedestrians also cross U.S. Highway 10/169 at unsignalized and unmarked locations because of delays or inconveniences at signals. Also included is funding for important rail grade separations for safety and ease of traffic flow. Funding these projects in the 2020 bonding bill will reduce traffic crashes, improve efficiency, relieve congestion, and provide pedestrians with safer walkways to local destinations.
There is funding for the design and environmental documentation for a full access Interchange for Hwy. 610 at East River Road. Currently, only westbound on-ramps and eastbound off-ramps to and from Hwy. 610 exist at both East River Road and Coon Rapids Boulevard. This bonding project funding will allow full access to Hwy. 610 from East River Road. There is also funding for the Coon Rapids Recycling Center to expand its operations to recycle more with more efficiency for the city of Coon Rapids.
Anoka-Ramsey has been seeking funding to complete the modernization and expansion of the Nursing and Business building on the Coon Rapids Campus for several years. Funding this project will modernize, enhance and repurpose classrooms and labs to increase enrollment and provide flexible learning options for one of the largest nursing programs in Minnesota as well as enhance their physical therapy assistant program. North Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park will receive nearly $1.2 million in HEAPR funds to replace a roof at the main campus building and $1.9 million to replace a boiler at plant services.
Information and Resources
COVID Related:
Updates on Executive Orders:
- Social gatherings will be limited to your own household, both in your home and outside.
- The following venues will remain open at their current capacities:
- All houses of worship remain open at 50% capacity.
- Retail will remain open at 100% capacity.
- Beauty salons and personal care service establishments will remain open at 50%.
- Outdoor recreation will be open including outdoor skating, downhill skiing, hiking, tubing, cross country skiing, hunting, fishing and playgrounds. Indoor facilities are closed.
- The following venues will be closed or adapted: o Bars and restaurants will be closed for indoor and outdoor service. Take-out and food, beverage and liquor delivery is allowed.
- Gyms, fitness studios, yoga, martial arts, dance and other similar establishments.
- Entertainment venues including bowling, dance halls, meeting halls, pool halls, arcades, indoor ice rinks, museums, zoo, festivals and the like.
- Indoor and outdoor seated entertainment and meeting venues including movie theaters, live performance, amphitheaters, raceways and the like.
- Public pools and swim parks.
- All wedding and other life milestone celebrations, private parties and other social gatherings will pause.
- The religious ceremonies associated with these celebration may continue.
- All organized youth and adult sports including association, club, intramural and school sports will pause.
- Collegiate and professional sports will continue, but spectators will not be allowed.
- Schools will continue to operate under the Safe Learning Plan.
- Child Care and youth programming will remain open under current program guidance.
- Universities and Colleges will continue to operate under the Higher Ed Guidance.
- Out of state travel is highly discouraged. In-coming visitors and Minnesotans that travel out-of-state are asked to quarantine for 14 days.
- The gathering restrictions do not generally apply to health care settings, nursing homes and other elderly care institutions, homeless shelters and the like as they operate under their own specialized protective rules. Addiction and related social support meeting will continue.
Minnesota’s COVID-19 dashboard, available here, is a great source of reliable and up-to-date information about the virus. You can find information about COVID-19 testing, including sites near you, here.
State Government
Governor
651.201.3400 | http://mn.gov/governor
Attorney General
651.296.3353 | www.ag.state.mn.us
Representative Melissa Hortman (36B)
651.296.4280
Representative Zack Stephenson (36A)
651.296.5513
Driver’s Licenses
651.297.3298 | drivers-license-information.aspx
MN Energy Assistance Program
800.657.3710
https://mn.gov/commerce/eap.jsp
Emerald Ash Borer Prevention
and Detection
(MN Dept. of Agriculture)
pestmanagement/eab/eabbiocontrol
651.201.6684
Local Government
City of Champlin 763.421.8100
City of Brooklyn Park 763.424.8000
City of Coon Rapids 763.755.2880
Anoka County 763.421.4760
Federal Government
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar
612.727.5220 | https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/
U.S. Senator Tina Smith
202.224-5641 | https://www.smith.senate.gov/HomePage
U.S. Congressman Dean Phillips (3rd CD)
202.225.2871 | https://phillips.house.gov/