 While ICE activity has reduced in the past few weeks, fear has not left our community. If there is anything I can do to help you, your family, or your neighbors, please do not hesitate to reach out. Ending Surveillance Pricing Earlier this month, I introduced a bill to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores. Surveillance pricing is the use of personal data, such as browsing history, location, and shopping behavior, by companies to set individualized, targeted prices for goods and services. It often leads to higher prices for the same product based on inferred consumer activity and attributes. You can watch some of my comments here. As inflation and tariffs have driven up the cost of groceries, it’s already hard enough to put food on the table. We need to stop the usage of AI and big data in grocery store price gouging ASAP. In most cases, our mom & pop, independent grocers are not yet utilizing this technology but as corporate profits soar and technology advances, Minnesotans could be seeing their private data reflected in higher prices at checkout. If you’re interested in running a test case where you and a friend shop in-app or online at the same store, for the same items, at the same time, please let me know! Protecting Our Kids from Gun Violence Two empty school desks currently sit in a corridor of the State Capitol. They belonged to Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski, whose lives were taken last August at Annunciation Catholic School. Since this tragedy, we’ve continued to hear directly from survivors of gun violence and loved ones of those who’ve been lost, calling for action to prevent more heartbreaking losses in the future. While DLFers have passed legislation expanding criminal background checks and enacting red flag laws, there’s clearly more to do.  Minnesotans currently coming of age shouldn't have to accept the deadly consequences of gun violence as normal. To make that goal a reality, we have to get weapons meant for war off our streets. My House DFL colleagues and I are united in seeking bold action to ban assault weapons, ban high-capacity magazines, reenact the ban on binary triggers, require the safe storage of firearms, regulate so-called “ghost guns,” and require lost or stolen guns to be reported. We know these policies are effective in saving lives, and they are broadly supported by Minnesotans. Now, it’s up to Republicans to tell us where they stand: with Minnesotans who deserve to be safe, or the gun lobby. With a tied House, all it takes is one of them to join us to say “enough” and advance these and other key solutions that will make a difference in our communities. Fletcher and Harper should still be in school today. We owe it to them and their families to act. SouthWest Transit As you may have seen in Eden Prairie Local News, a bill that would eliminate funding for SouthWest Transit and other suburban “opt-out” providers is being considered at the legislature. I’ve heard from hundreds of local residents about the incredible service that SWT provides to Eden Prairie and surrounding communities. I do not support this bill and I am working in partnership with the team at SouthWest Transit and with Representative Alex Falconer and Representative Lucy Rehm of Chanhassen to prevent implementation (or, in #MNleg nomenclature: to kill the bill). While we have to consider all options to reduce costs and improve efficiency in our transit system, this bill is not the way we should move forward and I will continue discussions with my colleagues to protect funding for SouthWest Transit going forward. Carlie’s Reading Corner We’re midway through March and I’ve already read some incredible novels. My favorites so far are: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I also read Hamnet for book club which was nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars, but I have yet to see the film. |