Dear Neighbors,
I’m grateful for the constituents who continue to come to the State Capitol to advocate for issues they are passionate about. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit with Aline and Marcia, two school psychologists in our community.
I was honored to have Eden Prairie School Superintendent Dr. Josh Swanson testify in favor of HF 514, my bill to increase investments in school safety. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: March 13, 2019”
Dear Neighbors,
This past Monday was a historic day in the Minnesota House of Representatives. We commemorated the first ever “Sovereignty Day” where we heard remarks from 11 tribal leaders in Minnesota and discussed how to improve government-to-government relations and how to work together to create better opportunities for Native people in Minnesota.
Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: February 21, 2019”
Dear Neighbors,
The weather continues to be cold here in the state of Minnesota, and I hope you and your family have been able to stay both safe and warm. No family deserves to be stuck in the cold, and if you or someone you know is having difficulty with heating bills, Minnesota’s Energy Assistance Program may be able to help. The Minnesota Department of Commerce has more information available here.
Last week I joined Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn for a Community Housing Forum in Eden Prairie to discuss the importance of housing for a strong community.
Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: February 11, 2019”
Dear Neighbors,
I hope you’ve been able to stay warm this week with the bitter cold weather. With nearly every school district in the state was closed, families were on the lookout for creative child care solutions. Here at the State Capitol, it meant we had an above-average count of children spending time with us, as legislators and staff alike had extra company with them.
With plenty to get done between now and adjournment in May, House leadership chose to move ahead with important work, and committees were quite productive. Despite the weather, several visitors came to the Capitol this week including Minnetonka Fire Chief John Vance. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor Update: February 1, 2019”
Dear Neighbors,
The first two weeks of the legislative session are behind us. It’s great getting to visit with members of the community and advocates on a wide variety of issues. This week, these meetings included one in the State Capitol rotunda with some Eden Prairie students, and one with Lyle Goff, Board Chair of the Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation, working to deliver the gift of sight to Minnesotans.
Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: January 18, 2019”
Before legislators return to St. Paul for the start of the new session on Jan. 8, Eden Prairie’s representatives sought the advice of their community in what they said was the best-attended town hall of their careers.
State Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, D-Eden Prairie and state representative Laurie Pryor, D-Minnetonka, and Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn, D-Eden Prairie, spoke to about 150 people at Eden Prairie High School Saturday, Jan. 5 — the largest group that Pryor or Cwodzinski, on their second terms, had ever seen at a town hall.
“You’re making my heart sing, putting this thing called ‘we the people’ into action,” Cwodzinski told the crowd.
View the complete January 7 article by Eden Teller on The Eden Prairie News website here.
Dear Deb,
The 2019 Minnesota Legislative Session gets underway at noon today. I’m so honored and fortunate to be serving a second term
and I look forward to the work ahead. Here’s the view from my new office, room 571 of the State Office Building.
If you ever make your way to Saint Paul, I’d love for you to swing by and visit.
Town Hall Meeting
Thanks to all who attended the Town Hall Meeting on Saturday with Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, Rep.-elect Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn and myself. We had close to 200 engaged community members attend. The focus of the town hall was legislative priorities for the upcoming session. We discussed a diverse set of issues submitted by audience members with their comments. At the end of the discussion, those attending voted on their top three issues for the next legislature. The top vote-getters were health care, reducing gun violence, and climate change. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: January 8, 2019”
Dear Neighbors,
I’m very grateful for the trust you gave me earlier this month with the opportunity to serve at the State Capitol for another term. Serving as your state representative is a wonderful honor, and I look forward to the work we can accomplish together during the next two years. Here are some updates from Saint Paul.
Minnesota House Committees
Heading into the 2019 session, with the DFL caucus taking over the majority in the Minnesota House, there will be a new roster of committees and chairs. This list of committees, divisions, and subcommittees and their chairs was announced last week. I’m encouraged by the inclusion of many of these, which means attention will be paid to issue areas which have had some long-term efforts, particularly early childhood education, clean water, and adequate housing that individuals and families can afford.
I would expect the full list of committee members will be announced in the next couple of weeks. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: November 29, 2018”
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.
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”
