 Dear Neighbors, It’s hard to believe we are less than a month away from the end of the legislative session. It has been a privilege to serve our community at the Capitol. Honesty and transparency are important to me. As your state representative, I want to inform you about what is happening at the legislature and how it could impact communities across our state.  Addressing fraud and holding bad actors accountable has been a top priority for my DFL colleagues and me throughout the session. We have introduced good-faith policies that tackle these issues and hold fraudsters accountable while strengthening program integrity. In shaping our Human Services Finance bill package, I was disappointed that the GOP voted down an amendment to invest in our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). Compared to other states, Minnesota's MFCU has an impeccable track record of prosecuting fraudsters. This should have been an easy vote to ensure funding for a credible program dedicated to fighting for Minnesotans. Instead, the GOP voted against this proposal without offering any ideas of their own; they instead spent the session using press conferences and social media clickbait to appeal to an echo chamber. The GOP-led Fraud Prevention Committee is focused more on using fraud as a political talking point rather than doing anything meaningful to address fraud in our state. They are willing to let our elders and vulnerable community members lose services and life-saving treatment as a means to an end. This is not leadership; it’s a sham, and Minnesotans deserve better than this political theatre. School Safety Early this session, families and survivors of the Annunciation School Shooting came to the Capitol to share testimony on their heartbreaking tragedy, recounting one of the worst days of their lives. These parents and survivors are demanding change and urging lawmakers to pass gun violence prevention measures to prevent future tragedies, save the lives of innocent children, and increase public safety. In the end, every Republican voted against banning high-capacity magazines and assault weapons. With just weeks left before the session ends, Republicans are trying to save face by introducing a ‘Safe Schools’ proposal that does nothing to address the real root cause and leading cause of death for young people: guns. Another critical proposal that Republicans voted against funding is the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System for schools statewide. The reporting system is a free, 24/7, national school safety program. It enables students and adults to anonymously report, via app, website, or hotline, potential threats of violence, self-harm, or bullying to a, "Say Something Anonymous Reporting System - Dallas ISD" National Crisis Center which notifies school officials and law enforcement to intervene. It is disturbing that Republicans would rather harden schools and expect teachers to put their lives on the line to protect our students— then defaulting to criminalizing five-year-olds—rather than addressing the gun violence epidemic. It is important for me to note, what was beyond concerning was when GOP Rep. Ron Kresha (R-Little Falls), who is the Education Finance Chair, attempted to end the session on March 25 by making a motion to adjourn sine die (which means the session would end, immediately and indefinitely). My DFL colleagues and I defeated the attempt to adjourn on a 72-58 vote. We have a moral obligation to do our jobs and represent our constituents at the Capitol to ensure we are passing laws that will make their lives better and protect their children from gun violence. We must act now to pass commonsense firearm safety measures. This isn't just a political debate—it’s what the Minnesotans want. A recent poll shows 69 percent of Minnesotans support a ban on assault-style weapons, including 79 percent of suburban residents and 62 percent of those in Greater Minnesota. Even among Republicans, support for a ban stands at 46 percent. Republicans would rather go home without addressing the many crises our state is facing like housing instability, food insecurity, economic recovery post-Operation Metro Surge, the potential closure of Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC), and the federal government jeopardizing our pristine Boundary Waters for foreign mining. Minnesotans have been through enough, yet they are now facing blow after blow from this federal administration. What Minnesotans need right now are fearless leaders willing to act with courage and bravery—leaders who will set aside party politics to make decisions from the heart. Saving HCMC I cannot emphasize enough how detrimental it would be to our state and the Upper Midwest region if HCMC closes its doors. It would completely destabilize our entire healthcare system, forcing families to make impossible decisions regarding their loved ones and their livelihoods. To say it would be catastrophic is not hyperbole. Currently, Democrats have introduced a "Ballpark Tax" to raise revenue in Hennepin County, providing immediate relief to the hospital so it can stabilize. This is just one option on the table as conversations continue. My focus is not just on what we can do, but what we must do in a bipartisan manner to save HCMC. Lives are on the line, and we have to get serious about solutions to address a crisis of this magnitude. Protect the Boundary Waters I was proud to stand with House and Senate colleagues to speak out against the U.S. Senate’s 50-49 vote to repeal a 20-year moratorium on mining on federal lands bordering the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This is incredibly upsetting—if we lose the boundary waters we never get them back. But it is not the end of the road. Mines in or near the BWCA are now suddenly inevitable. The Legislature in Minnesota, and the governor's office and the state agencies are all deeply involved in the process of accessing our mineral resources. The fight is not over, and we will not give up.  |