Tag: Senate District 48

Week of April 29th – May 3rd

Another successful civics class at the Shakopee Women’s Correctional Facility

For the second consecutive year, I had the opportunity to teach a civics 101 course at the Shakopee Women’s Prison for their annual Chautauqua. It was inspiring to see how passionate these women were about exercising their civic duty. Of all the issues we discussed, there was only one that got a rousing ovation: a bill to require that all Minnesotans learn cursive writing. Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: May 3, 2019”

• Week of April 22nd – 26th

Appreciating the long days on the Senate Floor

As the end of session approaches, more and more bills are being heard on the Senate Floor. Debates over the budget have often stretched into the night, and as the nights get longer I am constantly reminded of how fortunate we are to live in this great state. Far too few places in the world allow their citizens to have a discourse on how they govern themselves, and not a day goes by when I do not appreciate what we have here. Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: April 26, 2019”

Week of April 8th – 11th

Education budget moves out of committee

The Senate education budget was heard in committee this week. Due to numerous concerns, I voted against the bill. In my brief remarks, I touched on five key points in which this bill has room for improvement. You can view them by clicking HERE.

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Activism at the Capitol

A large group stopped by on Wednesday for Water Action Day. There is a lot of legislation on this subject this year, including updates to water treatment plants and responsible sidewalk salt application. Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: April 12, 2019”

Week of April 1st – 5th

Working together as One Minnesota

Governor Walz gave his State of the State address on Wednesday, and I could not be more impressed by what I heard. We have the opportunity to do so much good this year and serve as a model to the rest of the country, letting every other state know that divided government can still work. I am a strong believer in One Minnesota, and I am incredibly optimistic about the things we can achieve together. You can view more of my thoughts in the week’s video by clicking HERE.

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Constituents and friends visit the capitol

A large group of constituents visited the capitol this week to discuss their opposition to data disaggregation in our education system. As I mentioned in last week’s video, this is a discussion older than our country, and both sides have excellent points to make. Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: April 5, 2019”

Week of March 18th – 22nd

Doing right by Minnesota firefighters

On Tuesday, Representative Cheryl Youakim and I held a press conference alongside Minnesota firefighters to announce the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program, which would help these outstanding public servants get the healthcare they deserve. Minnesota’s firefighters are ready at any moment to answer any call, putting their lives on the line daily to serve our communities. They deserve our respect and gratitude, but they also deserve the support they need to deal with the dangers they face not just physically, but for their own mental health.” A story on this published by KARE 11 can be found by clicking HERE. My full speech can be found by clicking HERE.

This effort was spearheaded by former Eden Prairie Fire Chief and current leader of the Minnesota Fire Initiative George Esbensen. I was proud to stand alongside him as we advance this legislation. You can listen to an interview he did with Minnesota Public Radio by clicking HERE.

Later on, I got the chance to sit down and discuss the bill further with Shannon Loehrke on Capitol Report. You can watch my interview by clicking HERE.

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Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: March 22, 2019”

Week of March 11th – 15th

Bills pick up steam as first deadline passes

Today is the first of our legislative deadlines to make sure we get our work done on time. All bills must be heard in either the house or senate to advance further in the process. We’ve seen many bills ranging from education policy to gun violence prevention get heard this year, and I’m looking forward to further discussions.

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Talking policy on Your Legislators

I had the opportunity this week to be featured on Pioneer Public Television’s episode of Your Legislators. We had insightful discussions regarding Pre-K education, health insurance, and infrastructure. You can watch our conversation by clicking HERE.

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Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD49) Update: March 15, 2019”

Week of March 4th – 8th

My First Appearance on Almanac

In case you missed it, I was on TPT’s Almanac, At The Capitol this past Wednesday evening. It was a short segment featuring my high school yearbook, and I’m sure you will enjoy it. You can watch the video by clicking HERE.

As a bonus, my appearance on the Senate DFL’s podcast, Call of the Senate, is now online. I briefly mentioned it in last week’s newsletter, and you can listen in by clicking HERE.

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Lots of Constituents at the Capitol

Rev. Michael Byron from Pax Christi in Eden Prairie gave the opening prayer for floor session on Monday. We had a fun conversation beforehand about the short period of time when I worked at the church in my younger days. Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: March 8, 2019”

Week of February 25th – March 1st

Exercising Responsible Budgeting

The February Economic Forecast was delivered this past Thursday. While we still have an over $1 billion positive balance in the short term, it also projects a structural deficit of $11 million in the upcoming years.

This presents an important opportunity to look at where state spending is needed most. Our schools are chronically underfunded, and given the recent forecast, this session needs to be about strengthening our schools for years to come.

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Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: March 1, 2019”

Week of February 18th – 22nd

Building a more educated citizenry

On Monday I presented my bill for a requirement for high school students to take a Civics class to graduate. It is of utmost importance that our children are taught about civic virtue and political efficacy. An informed citizenry is vital to the continued success of our state, and is also required by Article 13 of the state constitution:

“The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it is the duty of the legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public schools.”

Thank you to Eden Prairie High School students Kendra Fischer and Sydney Lewis for testifying in support of this legislation.

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Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: February 22, 2019”