Tag: Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn

Dear Neighbors,

We’ve just begun debate on the Taxes budget bill in the House, and today is the last day of this special session. It’s been a long couple of weeks (and a long year and a half!) but we’ve made a lot of progress and put forward a bipartisan state budget that will help Minnesotans bounce back from the struggles of the Covid-19 pandemic. With historic investments in education, an orderly end to the peacetime emergency, support for workers and small businesses, funding for childcare, measures to provide housing security, and so much more – everyone can find something to like in this budget. 

As the only divided state legislature in the nation, compromise was necessary, but we also proved that coming together for the betterment of our state is still something that can be done in today’s political climate.

There’s a lot to cover in these bills – what’s in them, what’s not – so I’m excited to share that I’ll be joining Sen. Cwodzinski and Rep. Pryor for a District 48 Town Hall to take your questions and talk about our budget. We’ll be holding the event virtually, streaming live on our Facebook pages on Tuesday, July 6, from 9:30-10:30am. Grab a cup of coffee and tune in to start the short holiday week!

As we’ve done in the past, you can submit questions ahead of time here. We do ask that you provide your name and address, that way we can be sure we’re hearing from and prioritizing constituents’ comments and concerns. 

If you’d like to get caught up on the bills we’ve passed the last two weeks, you can find nonpartisan summaries of the bills and the process around them here:

• Higher Education
• Commerce, Climate and Energy
• Agriculture
• Transportation
• Housing
• Jobs and Labor
• Health and Human Services
• Legacy
• Environment and Natural Resources
• E-12 Education
• Public Safety and Judiciary
• State Government, Veterans, and Elections

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Ending the Peacetime Emergency

More Minnesotans have been getting vaccinated and COVID cases are going down, but it was also the recent compromises reached in St. Paul that enabled us to safely and effectively vote to end the peacetime emergency. With a deal struck with the US Department of Agriculture on emergency food assistance, and an eviction moratorium off-ramp included in our Housing budget, we’re ensuring that ending this peacetime emergency doesn’t just gain us a new crisis.

The eviction moratorium off-ramp included in our Housing budget provides both renters and landlords with the time and resources they need to make them whole. If you or someone you know has been struggling with rent payments because of the pandemic, I recommend checking out renthelpmn.org.

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God Bless the U.S.A.

We will celebrate Independence Day this coming weekend, and I wish you and yours a Happy Fourth of July! Our Eden Prairie Hometown Celebration is back after a 2020 hiatus, and I look forward to seeing many of you at the festivities Friday through Sunday at our community parks.

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Stay Connected

With the special session and the peacetime emergency over, we’re not scheduled to return to the House floor until the 2022 Legislative Session. Until then, I anticipate seeing many of you at school functions, on local parks and trails, enjoying restaurants and shops, or at your front door!

Please continue to reach out to me with any questions you may have on the bills we passed this year, the work that still needs to be done, or any ideas you may have for Eden Prairie and Minnesota. The best way to touch base is through email (rep.carlie.kotyza-witthuhn@house.mn) or phone (651/296-7449). I look forward to hearing from you.

Be well, and have a fun and safe holiday weekend!

Sincerely, 

Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn

Dear Neighbors,

While the regular legislative session adjourned last week, my colleagues and I are still advocating for budgetary allocations for the issues most important to you – like healthcare, childcare, and public education. Although we were able to reach a bipartisan agreement on our budget framework before adjourning, the finer details of our budget continue to be negotiated. Right now, we’re looking at a June special session to pass our final budget.

Thanks in large part to the American Rescue Plan passed by the Democrats in Congress and signed into law by President Biden, Minnesota will have the resources to help those hit hardest by the pandemic. House DFLers are fighting for students, families, workers, and small businesses. We will be spending these next few weeks working with the Senate to ensure that as our state recovers, we don’t leave any Minnesotans behind.

Continue reading “Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B) Update: May 28, 2021”

Dear Neighbors, 

I want to start off with a BIG thank you and congratulations to our community – Minnesota led the nation in responding to the 2020 Census with a total of 75.1% self-responding, and we managed to beat that in Eden Prairie with an 84.4% self-response rate!

In addition to ensuring that Minnesota kept all eight congressional districts, an accurate census also ensures our community gets the resources it deserves, so thank you again for taking the time to make sure you and your family were counted.

You can read more about Minnesota’s impressive and narrow census victory here. 

Continue reading “Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B) Update: May 3, 2021”

Dear Neighbors, 

These last few weeks have been hectic for Minnesota. We have been in national and global news for all the wrong reasons with the killing of Daunte Wright, and just miles away the Chauvin trial was taking place. The guilty verdict in the trial is only the first step on the way to justice. While more will be decided in the courts, many of the next steps for true, meaningful change can be taken by us. We must continue to call out systemic racism when we see it, and not stop until all Minnesotans feel safe in our communities – no matter what they look like or where they live.  

In the Minnesota House, we put forward strong, common-sense reforms last summer in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and while some were passed into law, we’re continuing to fight for public safety reforms to hold bad actors accountable and build a better system where Black lives matter.                          

Today we hear our final budget proposal, the Health and Human Services bill. Here’s an update on our work.

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Public Safety for ALL Minnesotans

Late Thursday night, we finished a lengthy debate on our Public Safety, Judiciary, and Civil Law Budget, which contains many of the sorely-needed reforms and measures being championed by our communities of color. I am proud to support the measures in this bill, including: 

• Allowing local governments to establish civilian oversight councils  
• Enhancing training and requiring the development of new model policies  
• Supporting community organizations working to prevent crime  
• Issuing body cameras and prohibiting altering, destroying, or withholding the footage  
• Prohibiting white supremacists from become police officers  
• Limiting the use of no-knock warrants  
• Strengthening the police officer misconduct database and building a more effective early warning system to identify bad officers and keep them off the streets 
• Limiting police officers’ authority to stop or detain drivers for certain violations 

Despite efforts from DFL Senators and encouragement from the House DFL Caucus, the Senate majority has refused to hold a single hearing on police accountability measures this session. It’s safe to say the proposals we passed in the House face an uphill battle in negotiations with the Senate, but we can’t give up on an issue this important just because others are blocking the path to change.

The bill also includes a series of major updates to Minnesota’s criminal sexual conduct code as recommended by a survivor-led working group to address old approaches to these crimes which create barriers for survivors to receive justice. One such example closes the “voluntary intoxication” statutory loophole, which a recent Minnesota Supreme Court decision was forced to accept when prosecuting a sexual assault case where the law deemed “mentally incapacitated” to not include a person who became intoxicated after voluntarily consuming alcohol. It also prevents sexual extortion and includes a series of measures to protect children. I heard from a number of constituents on this topic and I am glad to say that I have signed on as a co-author in support of these updated provisions.

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Our Budget Proposals

We’ve spent the past week passing other components of our House DFL Budget proposals, with more being debated on the House floor today. So far, in addition to the Public Safety, Judiciary, and Civil Law Budget, we’ve passed the following bills:

• State Government, Elections, and Veterans
• Transportation
• Housing
• Labor, Industry, Workforce, and Business Development
• Legacy Amendment
• Early Learning and K-12 Education
• Higher Education
• Energy and Commerce
• Environment and Natural Resources 
• Taxes
• Agriculture
• Public Safety, Judiciary, and Civil Law

I’ve been working with my colleagues on all of these bills, but a good amount of my focus has been on the Commerce Budget, as I serve as the vice chair of the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee. I spoke to the importance of this bill on the House floor, which you can watch below.

As we make our way out of this pandemic and help Minnesotans build back better, our budget takes steps to ensure consumers and businesses are protected from those who would seek to take advantage of them during these trying times. Three of my provisions I was proud to author in this bill include one that would limit the fees that third-party delivery platforms can charge restaurants and prohibits those platforms from decreasing compensation paid to delivery service drivers. I also authored the portion of the bill that invests $300,000 in the Minnesota State Council on Economic Education, which advances professional development programs in economics for K-12 teachers, and the section on Toxic Toys which allows for the Commerce Department to have additional regulatory enforcement on manufacturers who make unsafe cribs or toys that contain formaldehyde or BPA.

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Rent Assistance Now Available

For renters and housing providers continuing to struggle during these challenging economic times, new funds are now available to provide assistance. RentHelpMN has opened for applications, making it possible for low- and moderate-income renters to get caught up on overdue rent and utilities dating back to March 13, 2020. It also makes provisions for those at risk of falling behind on rent payments due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can find more information at https://www.renthelpmn.org/

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Stay Connected

We’re in for a wild ride through the end of session, with some days containing 12+ hours of debate on the House floor. This will likely calm down for a bit after this week as we enter negotiations with the Senate, but they’ll pick up again as we come together to pass our final budget bills before adjourning on May 17.

As we’ve done all session, much of our work continues to be done remotely which means I am able to be present for storytime with the fam during breaks. I’m wholeheartedly supporting our House budget because it contains proposals that better ensure all Minnesotans can gather at the end of the day in a home they can afford, in a community where they feel safe, with the economic security to be there for their family, and for children to have access to high quality education from cradle to career.

If you have any questions about the bills we’re passing off the House floor this week, please feel free to reach out to me. The best way to touch base is through email (rep.carlie.kotyza-witthuhn@house.mn) or phone (651/296-7449). I appreciate hearing from you.

Be well.

Sincerely, 

Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn

Dear Neighbors, 

We’re about halfway through this year’s legislative session, and as our work really starts to ramp up, I wanted to provide the opportunity to check in with you. Today, March 16, I’ll be joining Sen. Cwodzinski and Rep. Pryor for a Virtual Town Hall to provide an update on our work and answer your questions. We’ll be streaming on my Facebook page, and you can submit questions ahead of time here. 

I hope you can join us! 

Continue reading “Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B) Update: March 16, 2021”

Dear Neighbors, 

Spring is in the air and we have big news! Last week, we received a clearer picture of when Minnesotans could receive their COVID-19 vaccines. The supply of vaccines is still far from meeting the demand in our state, and we’re not alone in that, but it looks as though we’re on track to meet our goal of vaccinating 70% of Minnesotans age 65 and older by the end of March. Once that goal is met, we’ll begin administering the vaccine to people with specific high-risk health conditions and targeted essential workers – adding more Minnesotans throughout the spring. Check the timeline to see when you or your loved ones may be eligible. 

Whether you’re eligible to get the vaccines in a few weeks or a few months, be sure to sign up for the state’s Vaccine Connector.

Continue reading “Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B) Update: March 5, 2021”

Dear Neighbors, 

We’re just about done with our first month of the 2021 legislative session, and work is ramping up. This week, I presented my first bill of session in the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee, where I also serve as the vice chair. My bill, which would cap fees for restaurants that partner with third-party food delivery services, passed its first hurdle in this committee and is on its way to another hearing in Judiciary Finance and Civil Law.

Throughout the pandemic, many Minnesotans have taken advantage of ordering delivery from their local restaurants – this serves a dual purpose of keeping your family safe and healthy with a restaurant meal at home while supporting a local business during these challenging times. The hospitality industry is facing an uphill road to recovery and this bill will provide much-needed relief to local businesses across the state and ensure they can continue serving our communities now and into the future. 

Continue reading “Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B) Update: January 29, 2021”

Dear Neighbors, 

We’re just two weeks into the 2021 Legislative Session, but I imagine for many of you that has been overshadowed by the violent insurrection in D.C. and the news of other similar events throughout our nation. Now more than ever we need to work against disinformation and violence.

While it’s been a dark start to the year for our country, there are bright spots ahead. The days are getting longer, many students will soon be heading back to classrooms, and I’m confident in our ability to rise up and meet the challenges that face us. I look forward to the good work we will do together this session.

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The 2021 Legislative Session

When I first took office two years ago, the first day of session saw the House floor packed with families and friends as my legislative colleagues and I took our oath of office together. I will remember that day fondly, because my dad was able to be with me in the chamber before he passed away later in the year. And this year, my five-month-old son joined me in my office! Although the swearing-in procedures were mostly virtual this year, it was still a day of celebration. I am proud to be one of the record-breaking 72 women serving in the Minnesota legislature this biennium.

Continue reading “Rpe. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B) Update: January 19, 2021”