Tag: John Hoffman

Mid-Summer Report

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I hope our Minnesota summer has treated everyone wonderfully. I have been fortunate to share in so many memories this summer as people around the state share their time with me. It has been a joy to meet new people and spend time with old friends.

New laws are taking effect, more events are on the way and as always there is more work to be done. I look forward to collaborating with everyone to continue making Minnesota an even better place for all of us.

Sincerely,

John

Laws Taking Effect

Marital Rape Exemption: July 1st those who commit this horrific crime in wedlock can finally be appropriately charged for this crime. I was co-author on this bill working in a bi-partisan manner to ensure justice could be dealt as it always should have. Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: July 30, 2019”

End of Session Report

Dear Friends and Neighbors and welcome to the final weekly session update for the 2019 legislative session.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. It was a quiet weekend of contemplation as my family and I attended events memorializing those men and women who gave their lives for our nation. Let us always also honor those who have served and thank those wearing the uniforms of our military today.

The brief special session has finally come to a close and our state has a strong two-year budget. As a divided legislature there were some hard discussions and negotiations that took place to create that budget. Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: June 6, 2019”

Week 19 Saturday May 18th

Honored to have Presided over  the Senate During Floor Session

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are in the last few days of session now. Negotiations are still ongoing over the final budget for the next two years. The leadership in the House, Senate and the Governor have been meeting regularly to create a budget that works for all Minnesota.

While their talks continue we have moved some important legislation this week that I’ll summarize below.  I’ll be at the Capitol all weekend serving you so keep an eye on the news and I will keep you posted as I can.

Sincerely,

John Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: May 18, 2019”

Week 18 Friday May 10th

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

It is now ten days before the constitutional end of session, May 20th. Conference committees have been meeting all week with little to no progress. This is due in large part to a lack of agreed upon budget targets between the House, Senate and Governor. The goal is to have those targets agreed upon by Monday May 13th.

While the conference committees have struggled we did manage to vote many standalone bills through the Senate floor, from memorials to drainage ditches and even a DWI omnibus bill. Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: May 10, 2019”

Week 17 Friday May 3rd

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The Senate passed the 2019 Jobs, Energy, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Taxes, Transportation, and E12 bills this week. With their passage, all major budget bills have passed off both the House and Senate floors and are heading for conference committees.

Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman, and Governor Tim Walz agreed to provide conference committees with fiscal targets on May 6. Once the budget targets are established, negotiations between the different budget bills can begin to create a final product.

We are entering the final stretch of the process to determine what policies will shape our state and how we will fund it. In this Newsletter you will see some highlights of the Omnibus bills that were passed this week, as well as a few important events of note. Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: May 3, 2019”

Week 16, Friday April 26th

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Our omnibus bills are going through the final stretch of the process. As they are being passed from the floor they will go into conference committee, before returning to the floor for approval. I’d like to share some of my work that has made it this far in the process:

One of my bills to make it this far is the Parent to Parent grant. The bill appropriates $257,000 in funding for grants to support parent-to-parent programs for families of children with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and health-related educational or behavioral problems. Parents who participate in the program would be connected with other parents who have a child with similar needs or circumstances, information from special training, or simply emotional support. Personal support from another parent who has a child with similar needs can be helpful in coping with these challenging experiences and feelings. Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: April 26, 2019”

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The Legislature’s annual Easter/Passover break is upon us, giving legislators a chance to catch their breath after the last few weeks of intense deadlines. While I’m spending my break catching up on my work outside the legislature as well as spending time with family, I’m hoping everyone else is getting the chance to get outside and into the sunshine.

I will also be contemplating the coming last few weeks of the legislative session. We have had contentious issues arise this session as well as those that share bipartisan support. All of the budgets are out from the House, Senate and Governor. The stage is set for the last month of session.

Now we have to come together to make the final decisions on what our final budget will be as well as what policies will shape our state in the years to come. So as we all take our reprieve with family and friends I ask that you reach out and share your thoughts and feelings on the different legislation as we move forward. I’m going to do my best to share what bills are coming to the floor as soon as I know about them. I’ll be sharing them on Facebook and reviewing actions taken during my normal weekly newsletter.

So enjoy the holidays with your family and keep an eye out for more information next week.

From Ours to Yours,

John

sen.john.hoffman@senate.mn
651-296-4154

Week 14, Friday April 12th

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We have reached the Legislative Recess. Committees have finished their session work and Omnibus bills will be heading towards the floor or conference committees in a little over a weeks time. After a long fourteen weeks, we have an idea of what bills are in motion and we know the budgets from the House, Senate and Governor. Make sure you keep in contact with me for updates on this session process. Mean while enjoy this lengthy ENews on Bills that are moving this session.

I’d like to let you know how some of the bills I’ve been working on are doing that are currently moving forward in the health and humans services omnibus bill.

One is my $257,000 in funding for Parent-to-Parent grants. This funding will support an organization that organizes and trains parents who care for children with disabilities into a peer support network. These parents are ready to share their experiences with those seeking help to take care of their children medically as well as emotional support throughout the process. Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: April 12, 2019”