Week of January 7th – 11th
Kicking off 2019 with constituent engagement
Last weekend, Representative Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn, Representative Laurie Pryor, and myself got together with our shared constituents to host a town hall meeting. It was a great way to start the year.
Our discussion included nearly two dozen topics, which are listed below.
Town Hall Topics:
- Heath care
- Gun violence
- Climate change
- Early childhood Education
- Secondary and higher education
- Taxes
- Voting reform
- Legalizing marijuana
- Drug addiction
- Mental health
- One bill one vote
- Census funding
- Affordable housing
- Infrastructure
- Reproductive rights
- Senior care costs
- Refugee support
- Traffic safety
- Texting and driving
Thank you to everyone who attended. As always, please reach out to me if you ever have comments, questions, or concerns.
Former students getting into government
Tom Rippe, a former student, came in this past week to learn about careers in Minnesota government. I was so happy to see that he never lost his passion for poltical efficacy.
Another former Student, Andrew Yost, also stopped by to talk about career opportunities in government. Our state is in good hands with such passionate individuals working to make it a better place.
A fun start to the legislative session
The 2019 legislative session is officially underway. As the only state legislature with divided government right now, Minnesota has the unique opportunity to show the rest of the country how to bridge the partisan divide. You can check out this year’s first weekly video on this subject by clicking HERE.
On the first day of session, I got to take two Spanish foreign exchange students on a tour of the newly remodeld state capitol. Judit is a student at Eden Prairie High School and Elena is a student at Waconia High School. Also joining us was Judit’s host parent Blake Cadwallader and his daughter Ally.
Also on the first day of session, I ran into Annette Millette, an outstanding former student. She was at the capitol to let me and my colleagues know that now is the time to act on gun violence prevention. Her activism, and those of everyone involved in this fight, is incredibly appreciated.
Former students interning at the capitol
My two interns Kendall Johnson (top) and Alex Fox (bottom) began their internships with my office this week. Kendall is a Sophomore at the University of Minnesota studying (major). Alex Fox is returning to intern for a second year. He is a Junior at the University of Minnesota studying Political Science and Economics. Both are former students, and I could not be happier to have them joining me at the Minnesota Senate.
Working to protect the Boundary Waters
This week I met with Sydney Jordan and Jermey Drucker from Save the Boundary Waters. They work tirelessly every day to ensure that one of Minnesota’s greatest treasures is preserved for generations to come. Every year I make the trek up north to the BWCA, and I encourage everyone to experience its natural beauty at some point in their life.