Tag: Laurie Pryor

Election Endorsement District 48A: Laurie Pryor

One good term deserves another for DFL Rep. Laurie Pryor of Minnetonka. Elected to public office for the first time in 2016, Pryor, 61, has been a conscientious and at times independent voice for her west-suburban district. She has worked hard to maintain personal contact with her constituents, building on years of school, community and political volunteer activism.

Those relationships have informed her thinking on issues, she said. For example, she’s not as keen as some in her party to back a gas tax increase for transportation, and would want any new money earmarked for specific projects. “People don’t trust where the money is going,” she said. She’s cautious about abrupt or sweeping changes in health care and sensitive to their implications for hospitals. Her husband, Jon, is CEO of Hennepin County Medical Center.

Pryor’s opponent is Republican Ellen Cousins, 56, a marketing and sales professional who is making her first bid for elective office, though she served a stint on the appointive Minnetonka Economic Development Authority board. Her website bio indicates that she favors lower taxes and limited government. Citing a busy schedule, Cousins declined our invitation for an interview.

View the complete October 30 endorsement on the Star Tribune website here.

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: July 13, 2018

Dear Neighbors,

I hope you and your family have been able to enjoy summer so far. Whether it be our lakes, parks, trails, or any number of other opportunities, it’s a great time to take advantage of our abundance of outdoor recreation activities.

For my part, I continue to participate in events around the community. This past Sunday, I attended an event with other elected officials hosted by members of the Chinese Minnesotan community. The Political Engagement Seminar was a terrific opportunity to discuss how Minnesotans can get involved in their government and affect positive change in a variety of issues, like improved education offerings. I look forward to dialogues like this in the future. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: July 13, 2018”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: June 12, 2018

Dear Neighbors,

Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to attend the Memorial Day ceremony in Eden Prairie. It was a moving event giving those of us in attendance an opportunity to reflect on service and sacrifice. In addition to honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice, the event recognized veterans and active duty service members.
While there, Sen. Steve Cwodzinski and I visited with Eden Prairie Fire Chief George Esbensen. We discussed a bipartisan success from this past legislative session which was a breakthrough regarding the recognition of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and others. Previously, if one of these first responders experienced PTSD, they would often run into roadblocks to attaining workers compensation awards. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: June 12, 2018”

Legislative Q&A: House District 48A Rep. Laurie Pryor

The following article by Patty Dexter was posted on the Eden Prairie News website May 29, 2018:

The 2018 legislative session ended on Sunday, May 20.

The newspaper contacted Rep. Laurie Pryor for a Q&A reviewing the session

What are your thoughts about how this year’s legislative session went?

While the legislative session had some bright spots, it ended with many missed opportunities. State conformity to the recent federal tax changes should have been done in bipartisan fashion, but legislative leaders insisted on playing politics. We had an opportunity to address our persistent opioid crisis, but big pharma was able to deflect responsibility to pay for prevention strategies. Our seniors and vulnerable adults deserve greater protections in care facilities, but all that was ultimately considered were some watered-down policies and a task force. Continue reading “Legislative Q&A: House District 48A Rep. Laurie Pryor”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: May 18, 2018

Dear Deb,

I want to thank everyone who attended our Town Hall Meeting last weekend. It was another good discussion about the issues important to those in our community. I deeply value how engaged people are with their government.
The final hours of the legislative session are here; we must adjourn by Monday and cannot consider any bills after midnight Sunday night. Many of the questions at the town hall were around topics that unfortunately have yet to see significant action. I share in the frustration with many that partisan forces have stopped critically needed legislation with broad public support. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: May 18, 2018”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: May 11, 2018

Dear Deb,

We have just over a week left in the legislative session. We must adjourn by Monday, May 21, but no bills can be passed that day. Since we don’t reconvene until Monday, in essence, six days remain for legislation to be considered. In these final days, I’m committed to putting our community’s needs and values at the forefront. Here’s an update from the Capitol.

Town Hall Meeting

Here’s one more reminder about tomorrow’s Town Hall Meeting in Eden Prairie. With such a short time left in the session I’m deeply interested in hearing from those in the community, so I hope you’ll attend and share your thoughts with Sen. Cwodzinski and me. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: May 11, 2018”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: May 4, 2018

Dear Deb,

Welcome to May, and I hope you get an opportunity to enjoy our weather this weekend. At the Capitol, we have just over two weeks left in the legislative session. This week I met Saja Osman, a junior at Eden Prairie High School, who was at the Capitol participating in the High School Page Program.
Other than meetings with legislators, pages assist legislators during floor sessions, hold mock committee hearings, and participate in other activities to develop leadership skills and to inspire them to think critically about the issues confronting our state.

Here is an update from St. Paul.

Omnibus Bills Take Shape

Yesterday, we considered a mammoth, disjointed finance bill with jobs, energy, state government, environment, and agriculture all thrown together. The bill that was passed also contained pages upon pages of controversial policy, including one that I think would make redistricting more partisan and more likely to favor incumbents. This policy prevailed over the plan I favored, which would create an independent redistricting commission to make recommendations to the legislature based on public input.

If the bill advances to the Governor’s desk in its current form with the many controversial policy provisions and harmful cuts to state agencies, the Governor’s budget commissioner said it would result in a veto.

Next up, all of the mammoth budget bills will be considered by a single House/Senate conference committee. Minnesotans deserve better. As things move toward the finish line, I hope there can be more transparency and accountability to produce better results for our state.

Increasing Funding for Education

Many school districts throughout the state are experiencing large budget crunches, and others, like Eden Prairie, Minnetonka and Hopkins, are having to dig deeper – millions of dollars deeper – because the state and federal responsibilities for special education aren’t keeping up.

Gov. Dayton released a plan this week to provide emergency, one-time funding for school districts across the state. The plan would invest $137.9 million to increase school resources by 2 percent in the coming year, amounting to an additional $126 for every student in Minnesota. Long-term, more work needs to be done to make sure every child has access to an equitable, excellent education, but for now, this is a great step to protect opportunities for students.

Public Safety Bill

On Tuesday, we considered the 2018 Public Safety bill. One glaring shortcoming has been the lack of action to prevent gun violence. Despite upwards of 89 percent of support for reasonable measures such as expanded criminal background checks and extreme risk protection orders, the Republican majority has allowed no progress on this critical issue. I shared my disappointment on the House Floor, and you can view my remarks here.
I don’t want to see more flags flying at half-mast due to tragedies caused by gun violence. We need to come together and deliver these common-sense solutions for our communities.

Small Business Week

Governor Dayton proclaimed Wednesday as Small Helps All Day, in commemoration of National Small Business Week. The United States has celebrated Small Business Week since 1963, which commemorates the contributions of entrepreneurs and small business owners. Minnesota has more than 503,000 small businesses, which employ approximately 1.2 million people. Overall, small businesses employ approximately 47 percent of Minnesota’s workforce.

To learn more about the tools and resources available to entrepreneurs interested in starting a business in Minnesota, click here. I’m committed to working on solutions to give small businesses the tools to grow and thrive in our state.

Town Hall Reminder

Don’t forget about the Town Hall Meeting Sen. Cwodzinski and I are hosting next Saturday in Eden Prairie. We greatly value your input, so I hope you can join us to share your thoughts on the issues that matter to you.

What: Town Hall Meeting with local legislators
When: Saturday, May 12 at 9:30 a.m.
Where: Eden Prairie Library, 565 Prairie Center Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 (Map)
Who: Representative Laurie Pryor, Senator Steve Cwodzinski, members of the community.

Please continue to contact me with your viewpoints. Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Laurie Pryor
State Representative

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: April 27, 2018

Dear Deb,

Last Sunday I visited with the Minnesota Backcountry Hunters and Anglers at the neighborhood brew pub. They stressed their support for public lands, which was quite relevant this week as Wednesday was Support Public Lands Day at the Capitol.
With just about three short weeks to go in the legislative session, here’s an update from St. Paul. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: April 27, 2018”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: April 20, 2018

Today marks the third and final committee deadline, with budget bills moving out of their respective finance committees and on to the next phase before they make their way to the House Floor. As these bills come forward, I’ll be working to ensure they reflect our community’s values, with better investments in education, ensuring our environmental protections remain intact, and taxes that are fair for everyone.

Air Medal Veterans License Plate

I introduced a bill this week to create a new license plate honoring some of our distinguished service members. The bill, HF 4429, would add recipients of the Air Medal to those able to apply for a special license plate. The suggestion for this recognition came from my constituent, Jim O’Neill. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: April 20, 2018”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: April 13, 2018

Rep. Laurie Pryor (48A) – Legislative Update

Dear Neighbors,

The legislature returned this week from a spring recess and the countdown begins before the required May 21 adjournment. Governor Dayton delivered a letter to legislative leaders this week outlining his parameters for a successful conclusion to the session, and last night the House majority announced their budget outlines.

Here’s an update from the Capitol.

Eden Prairie Chamber

Over the break, I met with members of the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce. The topic was workforce shortages. Here in Minnesota, our unemployment rate is as low as it’s been since 2000 and jobs in many areas are going unfilled. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: April 13, 2018”