Tag: House District 49B

Dear Neighbors,

I hope this finds you well and enjoying the new year. With the legislative session set to begin less than a month from today on February 11, Representative Edelson, Senator Franzen and myself will be hosting a town hall meeting on January 30^th at Edina City Hall from 6:00-8:00 p.m. I hope you can make it to share ideas and input with the Senate District 49 team.

2020 is a big year for several important new initiatives in Minnesota. Read about them below. Continue reading “Rep. Steve Elkins (HD49B) Update: January 15, 2020”

Dear Neighbors,

The House Capital Investment Committee concluded its statewide “bonding tour” last month, visiting several sites across the state, including 54 counties with proposed public infrastructure improvements. Throughout the statewide regional tour, committee members learned about local communities’ infrastructure needs firsthand. Visits included colleges and universities, public safety facilities, wastewater treatment and flood mitigation systems, parks and trails, and many others.

I was able to join the committee as it made two stops in Bloomington to learn about two worthy projects vying for state funding: the Bloomington Center for the Arts expansion and the Normandale College modernization project. Continue reading “Rep. Steve Elkins (HD49B) Update: December 2, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

Climate change is one of the top issues that I hear about from fellow community members. People from across the state are organizing in their communities and urging legislators to take action. Young people are particularly dedicated to fighting climate change. On Friday, hundreds of Minnesota students kicked off Climate Action Week by participating in the worldwide Youth Climate Strike.

My colleagues and I are standing in solidarity with the students as they strike. To show our support, we’ve formed a new Climate Action Caucus. This dedicated group of legislators, which I’m proud to be a part of, will work with Minnesotans on a bold, comprehensive plan to fight climate change and create a future in which we all thrive. Please stay tuned for updates.

Continue reading “Rep. Steve Elkins (HD49B) Update: September 20, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

The cooler weather is a reminder that fall is right around the corner- and with that, comes back-to-school season. I’d like to wish all students, parents, families, teachers, administrators, and support staff an excellent 2019-2020 school year.

After hearing from residents in our community and across the state, state lawmakers passed a budget that makes new investments in every student in every public school. Despite challenges under one of the nation’s only divided state legislatures, our schools will see a per-student funding increase over the next two years, continued access to voluntary pre-k, and additional investments to help address soaring special education shortfalls.

There is much more work to do to provide a world-class education for every child, and I’ll keep advocating for students of all ages and abilities. Continue reading “Rep. Steve Elkins (HD49B) Update: September 11, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

I hope you had a great Fourth of July holiday! There were many familiar faces in the crowd for the annual Edina 4^th of July Parade! After six weeks of catch-up yard work, including a major “Buckthorn-busting” project, interspersed with hours of research on legislative topics for next year’s session, I was finally able to carve out some time for my first long bike ride around Hyland-Bush Lakes Park last weekend!

The patio flower and herb garden is thriving with all the rain, and now sun. The tomato plants (Better Bush, Roma and Sweet 100) are huge and starting to set tomatoes. Five kinds of basil, two kinds (each) of thyme and oregano and lots of rosemary plus sage and dill.

I’ve also been staying active in the community and working on a number of legislative issues, one of them being affordable housing. Stable housing is interconnected with nearly all areas of life – it is crucial for a person’s ability to hold a job, seek an education, preserve their health and maintain relationships. Maintaining housing affordability is also critical to the economic competitiveness of our region. Continue reading “Rep. Steve Slkins (HD49B) Update: July 12, 2019”