Legislative Update - Donuts with Dan

Dear Granite City Neighbors, 

With the 2026 Legislative Session in full swing, I want to hear from you! While much of my work in the Minnesota House keeps me in St. Paul, that work is at its best when it's responsive to the needs of our community. That's why next week I’ll be holding my latest “Donuts with Dan” event in St. Cloud to touch base with our neighbors!

I’ll be at the Great River Regional Library on Wednesday, March 25, from 3:45pm to 4:45pm. If you plan to stop by, I just ask that you RSVP beforehand to Rep.Dan.Wolgamott@house.mn.gov. Bring any questions, comments, or ideas you have to make our community and state better - I’ll bring the donuts!

I hope to see you there!

Protecting Our College Campuses

As the DFL Chair of the House Higher Education Committee, I dedicated one of our first hearings of this session to listening directly from students and staff at Minnesota’s colleges and universities about the impact of Operation Metro Surge.

The Trump administration’s violent campaign of retribution against Minnesota has impacted every corner of our state, including our colleges and universities. No investment or policy passed by our committee makes much of a difference if at the end of the day our students - particularly our students of color - are terrified to set foot on campus due to the chaos and fear caused by ICE.

Our diverse student body is an incredible asset to Minnesota, and our brave testifiers showed we can and must do more to protect our students’ constitutional rights. It is our duty as legislators to protect Minnesotans from further federal overreach.

Speaking of Higher Education, I was so excited to welcome some SCSU Huskies to the State Capitol. They were doing the important work of advocating for a powerful agenda to improve higher education! 

All of the students I met with are incredible leaders with impactful stories. We’re working together to simplify transfer pathways, invest in student safety, reduce waste on campus, prioritize student parents, and make college more affordable.

 

Addressing Gun Violence

At the start of the session, as you walked into the State Capitol, you would pass a couple dozen desks sitting in the snow. These desks represented the over 200 Minnesota school children killed by gun violence since 2021.

There were two more desks, these ones in a Capitol hallway, that belonged to 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski. Fletcher and Harper were killed last August in the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.

This session, we’re hearing a series of important gun violence prevention bills. In the House Public Safety Committee, students and parents from Annunciation came to advocate for gun safety bills, specifically a ban on semiautomatic military-style assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines. 

The committee heard from Harper’s mom, Jackie Flavin. It’s about as heart-wrenching of a testimony as I’ve ever heard at the State Capitol, but it’s important we all listen to her remarks.

I’m incredibly proud of the laws I’ve helped pass to prevent gun violence - effective measures like Minnesota’s Red Flag Law and additional background checks - but more needs to be done.

Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues don’t agree. After hearing Jackie’s testimony, every Republican on the committee voted against the bills.

We can and must do better for our kids. 

Stay Connected

I’m dedicated to finishing my tenure as your State Representative strong, and a huge part of that is working with you on our community’s needs. If you have any questions, comments, or ideas on how to make St. Cloud and Minnesota a better place, please reach out!

As always, you can contact me at Rep.Dan.Wolgamott@house.mn.gov or 651-296-6612. You can also stay in the loop by following along on my official Facebook page.

Thank you for the privilege of representing our community in the Minnesota House. It’s been the honor of a lifetime.

Sincerely,

Rep. Dan Wolgamott

District 14B