Dear Neighbors,
The 2019 Legislative Session is underway. It is an honor and privilege to serve in the Minnesota House. As we embark upon the next two years at the State Capitol, I’m committed to serving in a way that reflects our shared values, and delivering solutions which give everyone a true opportunity to succeed.I also have the additional honor to serve as the Speaker of the House. In my view, the Speaker serves as the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives — not the DFL House or the Republican House, but the Minnesota House. It’s my role to help House members, regardless of party, govern effectively as a team and help Minnesotans succeed. We’ll do that by being inclusive and giving all legislators opportunities to lead, build consensus, and get the work done. We share a trust – to recognize that those who came before us built Minnesota to be a phenomenally successful state. It’s our obligation to keep Minnesota strong for the generations who will follow us.
It was an honor to be joined at the swearing-in ceremony by Joan Growe, former Secretary of State, and former Speakers Dee Long and Margaret Anderson Kelliher — the other two women to serve as Speaker of the Minnesota House.
Minnesota Values Agenda
Last week, House DFLers unveiled the “Minnesota Values Agenda” — our first 10 bills. These bills are based in part on the Minnesota Values Plan we released in September.The Minnesota Values Plan was an initiative of the Minnesota House DFL to engage legislators, Minnesotans, and community groups in a conversation about the future of our state. In 2017, we traveled the state to listen to Minnesotans and have conversations about our shared values. We continued those conversations with community members and organizations, shaping part of the agenda for the 2019 Legislative Session.Minnesota is a strong state, but we know it can be even better, and our state’s prosperity can and should reach more Minnesotans. We’re committed to making our state work better for all of us, no matter what we look like or where we come from. Working together, we can strengthen our communities across the state by improving education opportunities, keeping Minnesotans safe from the threat of gun violence, and investing in a brighter economic future for all of our families.House Files 1-10 include:
- HF 1: The Great Start for All Minnesota Children Act
- HF 2: K-12 Student Support Legislation
- HF 3: More affordable health care through a MinnesotaCare Buy-In
- HF 4: Preventing prescription drug price gouging and holding pharmaceutical companies accountable
- HF 5: Paid Family & Medical Leave and Earned Sick & Safe Time
- HF 6: Wage Theft prevention and enforcement
- HF 7: Rural broadband expansion
- HF 8: Keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people through criminal background checks
- HF 9: Preventing gun violence through Extreme Risk Protection Orders
- HF 10: Protecting Minnesotans from sexual harassment
House DFLers are focused on a number of other issues this session, including addressing the opioid crisis, protecting our seniors in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, increasing funding for education, and investing in infrastructure.
As always, please contact me anytime with your input. I appreciate hearing from you! Thank you.
Sincerely,
Melissa Hortman