June 30, 2021
Upcoming SD 48 Town Hall
Mark your calendars! This coming Tuesday, July 6, my house colleagues and I will be hosting a virtual town hall meeting from 9:30 – 10:30am.
You can RSVP in advance at the event page by clicking HERE, and you can ask us questions in advance by clicking HERE.
You will be able to watch live or view a recording from any of our Facebook pages. Mine can be accessed by clicking HERE.
Looking forward to hearing your questions, comments, and concerns as we recap the legislative session!
Special Moments from the Final Week of Session
Every day I come to work at the capitol is truly a moment to appreciate, yet still there are days that shine. In the early morning before we voted on the last of our omnibus bills, senators and staff had the opportunity to head up to the roof of the capitol. Being so close to the dome and quadriga was a sight to behold.
Earlier in the week, the Senate honored police officer Arik Matson, who was recently injured in the line of duty. It was a great moment of bipartisan appreciation.
Have a happy 4th of July weekend. As you are spending time with friends and family, take a moment to appreciate just how wonderful this country is. Give the Declaration of Independence a read, and reflect on its meaning to us today.
Highlights From A Finalized 2021 Budget
This year’s legislative session went right down to the wire, with the last of the budget bills wrapping up just hours before the July 1st deadline. We got a lot of good things done, despite the challenges of divided government. I highlighted some of these in this week’s video, which you can find by clicking HERE. I have also detailed them below:
- 2.45% and 2% increase in the education funding formula, to help keep pace with inflation.
- Huge investments to bring more teachers of color into public school classrooms.
- Federal conformity on tax exemptions for Unemployment Insurance Benefits and PPP loans. For detailed info from the Department of Revenue, please click HERE.
- The Hometown Heroes Assistance Program, to help firefighters have access to care and treatment for addressing the mental and physical trauma they’ve suffered while keeping us safe.
- The Veterans Restorative Justice Act, which will help us use less punitive sentencing measures for crimes committed by veterans with PTSD.
These are just some of the great pieces of legislation passed during our special session, and there is much much more. I spoke about the investments we made in education on the Senate floor, which you can find by clicking HERE. Thank you to everyone who exercised your civic duty and helped get these provisions across the finish line.
Running Into A Former Student
Last week I happened upon a former student, Brandon Schimke. He was at the capitol exercising his civic duty outside the governor’s office. It’s always great to see former students making their voices heard.