Tag: Michael Howard

Dear Neighbors,

This week the DFL House completed our initial budget work by passing our remaining finance bills off the House floor. This sets the stage for the final weeks of session, where we hope to reach an agreement with Governor Walz and the Minnesota Senate on a budget that will strengthen our communities and improve the lives of Minnesotans.

Minnesota Values Budget

I am proud to support the Minnesota Values Budget that House DFL Majority has passed off the House floor. We are investing in the priorities that all Minnesotans value: affordable health care, world-class schools, safe communities, and economic security for everyone. And we are doing so with an honest, responsible budget that doesn’t rely on gimmicks or budget tricks that would throw us back into deficits. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: May 3, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

We had a long week at the Minnesota House as my colleagues and I debated, amended, and ultimately passed components of our Minnesota Values Budget off the House Floor. This will likely be the case next week as well, as we engage in the work to balance our state budget. I am proud of the bold budget we are moving forward with and believe it will help improve lives and strengthen communities.

Here are some highlights of the budget bills we’ve passed this week.

E-12 Education

All of our students deserve access to a world-class education, and to that end, we are making historic investments in education from cradle-to-career. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: April 26, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

The Minnesota House just finished its floor session today, and we will be off next week for the Easter and Passover break. When we return, the legislature will begin taking up budget bills on the House floor and debating some of the most important priorities of the session. To that end, I would be grateful if you would take a moment to complete my brief legislative survey. I would love to learn more about your values and priorities as we enter this important phase of the legislative session.

You can fill out my legislative survey online here, and a Spanish language version here.

77^th Street Underpass Included in House Bonding Bill 

We had exciting news for Richfield and our entire south metro region this week when my bill to fund the last phase of our 77^th Street/Cedar Underpass was included in the House Capital Investment Bill. A major thank you to Mayor Maria Regan Gonzalez and local leaders that came to the Capitol to testify on this important project. With this funding we could break ground soon on an important investment for our region and state. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: April 12, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

The Minnesota House is hard at work preparing our state budget. I want to give you an update on some of our priorities, as well as other key bills moving through the legislature.

Public Safety and Transformative Criminal Justice Reform 

It has been a privilege to serve on the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform committee, and this week we finalized our omnibus bill. We passed a transformational bill that takes our charge to focus on criminal justice reform to heart, including:

• Police Excellence Task Force, which I authored to improve public trust and accountability with law enforcement
• Significant probation reform and limiting cash bail
• Restoration of voting rights to those that have served their time
• Creation of a sexual assault working group to address systemic gender-based violence
• Real action to address gun violence, including background checks on gun sales and extreme risk protection orders

Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: April 5, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

We’re a little over halfway through the legislative session, and our work in committees is starting to produce smart, impactful legislation, with some bills already passing on the House floor. Here’s an update on some of the recent events at the State Capitol:

Making Prescription Drugs Affordable and Accessible

This week, we stood with Minnesotans impacted by the high cost of prescription drugs to acknowledge our responsibility to stand up to the powerful interests driving up costs. Nearly one in four adults in the U.S. struggle to afford prescription drugs, forcing some patients to make impossible choices. Our Minnesota House DFL plan to address this issue will make prescription drugs more affordable by holding Big Pharma accountable. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: March 29, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

This week sees the first committee deadline at the Legislature, meaning that bills must be heard by midnight this Friday in order to have a better chance of advancing through the legislative process.

There were some long nights and great opportunities to move forward several of the bills I am carrying this session. This update covers a few that were heard this week:

Peace Officer Excellence Task Force

The House Public Safety Committee heard my bill on establishing a Peace Officer Excellence Task Force this week. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: March 14, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

We’re coming to the halfway point for this year’s legislative session. Here’s an update on what’s been going on at the State Capitol this week.

Insulin for All

Minnesotans from across the state rallied at the State Capitol against the immoral cost of insulin. They are making headway in this fight against Big Pharma by sharing powerful stories about the struggle to afford life-saving medication that has tripled in price in the last decade. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: March 8, 2019”