 Legislative Update -Dear Neighbors, First, I join our White Bear Lake community in sending my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor and the five other service members killed in the drone strike in Kuwait. Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor was a decorated hero who served our country with bravery and honor for 20 years. We will not forget her or the sacrifice she made defending our nation. These brave soldiers make the selfless decision to be away from their families, and it’s deeply heartbreaking whenever we hear of them making the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. Losing one of our own here in White Bear Lake is a profound tragedy; I grieve with her family and all those affected during this devastating time.  On the House floor, we held a moment of silence in her remembrance and honor. Please watch it here. This is a challenging time for our community. Let’s all come together to support her family and honor her legacy. Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor’s husband, Joey Amor, is hoping to build a greenhouse to memorialize her and her love for gardening, referring to it as, “a place that would have made her incredibly happy and at peace. A space where her love for growing things can continue to live on.” If you are able, please consider contributing to the Go Fund Me. I urge you—if you or someone you love is a veteran—please reach out to the local VA for mental health support as we grieve this heartbreaking loss. Community at the Capitol I had several meetings with constituents and healthcare justice advocates from the Minnesota Nurses Association, Minnesota Medical Association, and the Young Women’s Initiative Statewide Cabinet. I got the chance to sit down with aspiring journalists from St. Thomas’s ThreeSixty Journalism Capital Reporting Workshop. I was impressed by their conviction and the way they asked questions with such care and curiosity—they are already leading better than most these days. I continue to be in awe of our youth and their dedication to making their voices heard at the Capitol. I had a great meeting with our partners at Ramsey and Washington Counties about their tireless efforts to ensure we serve our shared constituencies in thoughtful, practical, and values-based ways. Both counties are working on some amazing priorities and I’m so thankful for our strong collaboration.  A big highlight from this week was presenting my bill to prohibit weapons at the Capitol in the State and Local Government Committee. With this legislation, Minnesota would join at least 25 other states with similar laws including North Dakota, Arkansas, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Texas. I was incredibly proud to sit next to my colleague, Rep. Kristen Bahner, as she bravely recounted the horrifying trauma she has endured every day since her attempted assassination, and the assassinations of our beloved Speaker Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their family dog, Gilbert. Every legislator, Minnesotan, and visitor at the Capitol complex deserves the right to exercise their First Amendment rights without the fear of gun violence. This bill is not about “stripping” people’s rights away; it’s about ensuring we implement every measure possible to ensure no person loses their life to gun violence while at the Capitol. In a recent study by Princeton University and the Anti-Defamation League, women legislators were found to be 3.4 times more likely than men to be on the receiving end of threats and harassment. The very real threats of gun violence against both the DFL and GOP women leaders in the House of Representatives in the last year alone should be enough for us all to support this bill. The rising political violence and vitriol puts everyone at risk. We must protect places of democracy and discourse from intimidation. Implementing safety measures to protect every Minnesotan and visitor at the Capitol should not be a partisan issue; yet every Republican on State and Local Government voted against my bill, putting politics over people again. Shameful. Watch the full committee hearing here. I want to hear from you on this—what do you think about this legislation? Email me your thoughts at rep.brion.curran@house.mn.gov.  DFL Affordability Initiatives It shouldn’t be this difficult to get ahead. Working hard and playing by the rules should mean that your family is safe, well-educated, and that you can afford a home, child care, and health care. But far too many Minnesotans feel any chance at the American Dream slipping away and struggle every day just to get by. The status quo is broken, the system is rigged, and Minnesotans are paying the price. House DFLers work every day to make Minnesotans’ lives better. With record wealth inequality, a disappearing middle class, and a system that’s built for the rich and well-connected rather than the rest of us, we’re setting forward a vision of the future where Minnesotans have power and control over their own lives and can thrive. Watch our press conference to learn more on our affordability initiatives. I want to ensure residents in our district have every tool and resource possible to keep life affordable and provide everyone a fair shot at getting ahead. There are several bills working their way through committee hearings but the two I want to amplify are: - Bill to ban predatory surveillance pricing: The bill would prohibit companies in Minnesota from tracking consumer data to increase prices. We are hearing how large corporations and Big Tech use data—such as geography and purchase history—to hike costs.
- Bill to increase homeownership opportunity: The bill would prohibit private equity firms from owning single-family properties and cap other corporate ownership at 50 homes.
 Stay Connected!As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with your thoughts, questions, or concerns. Send me an email to rep.brion.curran@house.mn.gov or call my office at 651-296-4342, and I will be happy to help. If you were forwarded this email and you’d like to subscribe, click here. If you have a friend or neighbor who would be interested in receiving these, please forward this and encourage them to subscribe. Sincerely,  Brion Curran State Representative Proudly Serving District 36B Minnesota House of Representatives |