Dear Neighbors,
Summer is finally here, and with it, the end of session. By all accounts this was a year for the record books. I’m proud to be a part of this historic year and I would like to thank you all for your continued support and input. This year would not have happened if it weren’t for the involvement and voices of constituents like you!
Proud to be a part of the House Conference Committee team that passed a monumental K-12 education budget!
End of a Successful Session
Alongside our DFL Senators, we ended the gridlock and delivered on the promises we made to Minnesotans. It was an honor to be a part of the team who worked to address long overdue issues to improve the lives of our residents. Measures like stabilized and reliable school funding for the future, Paid Family and Medical Leave, driver’s licenses for all, free school meals, safer and sturdier infrastructure, tax cuts for working families and seniors, gun violence prevention, protecting reproductive and queer rights, strengthened elections policy, and much much more.
These are transformational investments that will help our students recover from the pandemic, ensure our older Minnesotans can age in place, voters can participate fully in our democracy, and working families can take the time off they need when someone is sick or caring for a new baby. We worked to accomplish a lot of good and I’m confident these policies will greatly improve the quality of life for all Minnesotans. Here is a great list of everything we achieved this year.
We started this session with a few top priorities and promises, and we accomplished everything we set out to.
Investment in Our Community
In keeping with the historic and transformational theme of this session we also passed a historic capital investment bill. The bill will reach every corner of our state, creating jobs and sustained community investment. Here’s what I was able to help earn for our community:
- $5.7 million for stormwater management and flood control in Forest Lake
- $4.5 million for improvements to highway 97 and county highway 32
- $250,000 thousand for improvements to the veterans memorial in Forest Lake
- $2.2 million for the regional arts and heritage center in Scandia
- $6 million for improvements to downtown Stillwater
- $700,000 thousand for the heritage center in Stillwater
- $2.2 million for redevelopment in Oak Park Heights
This is a truly unprecedented amount for our community and these projects will go a long way to ensuring our communities can thrive.
Cannabis Bill Details
I’ve heard from a lot of constituents who are interested in the specifics of the adult use cannabis law, here’s a quick breakdown. In its current version, it would permit a person age 21 or older to:
- possess up to 2 ounces of cannabis flower in a public place or 2 pounds in a person’s residence;
- possess or transport no more than 8 grams of adult-use cannabis concentrate;
- possess or transport edible products infused with up to 800 milligrams of THC;
- give away cannabis flower and cannabinoid products in an amount that is legal for a person to possess in public;
- use cannabis flower and cannabinoid products in private areas; and
- cultivate up to eight cannabis plants, of which four or fewer may be mature, flowering plants.
Once signed into law, Minnesota will become the 23rd state to legalize adult-use cannabis and the third state in the Midwest. Created with this bill is the Office of Cannabis Management, which will oversee the regulation of cannabis, cannabis products, hemp edibles, and hemp-derived consumer products.
Stay in Touch
Please feel free to reach out to me by email at rep.josiah.hill@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-4124. If you have a friend, neighbor, or relative who wants to receive updates about the Legislature, let them know they can subscribe to my email list here, and follow my Facebook here. It’s an honor to represent our community. Please stay in touch!
Sincerely,
Josiah Hill, District 33B
415 State Office Building
St. Paul, MN 55155