Week of February 25th – March 1st
Exercising Responsible Budgeting
The February Economic Forecast was delivered this past Thursday. While we still have an over $1 billion positive balance in the short term, it also projects a structural deficit of $11 million in the upcoming years.
This presents an important opportunity to look at where state spending is needed most. Our schools are chronically underfunded, and given the recent forecast, this session needs to be about strengthening our schools for years to come.
Celebrating Past Teachers of the Year
Jackie Roehl and Dr. Amy Hewett-Olatunde visited the capitol this past week. Standing between two of Minnesota’s Teachers of the Year has been among the highlights of my time here at the legislature.
Constituents at the Capitol
This past Tuesday Jewish Family and Children’s Service (JFCS) day at the capitol. We had a great conversation about funding the Parent-Child Home Program.
The Minnetonka Teachers Association had their day on the hill this week as well. It is always revitalizing to have insightful discussions with fellow members of the profession.
This week also included SciMath MN’s day on the hill, where robotics teams showed us some of their work and told us about the importance of STEM education. Three Eden Praire High School students were on hand: Kyle George, Nate Seidler, and Maddy Burke.
Celebrating Free Speech in the Schools
This past Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Tinker v. Des Moines, which affirmed both Students’ and Teachers’ rights to free speech. This was one of my favorite cases to teach my students, and and remains one of my most deeply appreciated Supreme Court opinions. You can view my video on this milestone by clicking HERE.
A Conversation Between Senators
I was featured on The Call of the Senate, a new podcast launched by the Senate DFL Caucus. Senator Jeff Hayden hosted the program, and we had a great conversation that I’m sure you will enjoy. As of this writing it is not online yet, but it will be available at this LINK. Until it is, you can check out some appearances by my outstanding colleagues, including the Senate DFL Leader Tom Bakk.
Discussing the Importance of Civic Education
This past Tuesday I was part of a press conference to promote legislation on civic education. For the past two years, we have worked to require that all Minnesota high school students take a course in government. Momentum is building, and we are truly confident that this is the year we can get this done. Even Secretary of State Steve Simon was on hand to show his support.
Securing Our Elections, All Eyes on Minnesota
Minnesota is currently the only state legislature with divided control between Democrats and Republicans, and we are also the only state left who has not accepted full federal funding from the Help America Vote Act. On Thursday we took up a bill to resolve this; it should have been procedural and bipartisan. While we debate and deliberate, the rest of the country is watching. Let’s show them what strong bipartisan government can look like and get this done right. You can view my floor speech on the bill by clicking HERE.