Legislative Update – June 13, 2025Dear Neighbors, On Monday, legislators returned to the Capitol to finish the work of passing a state budget that funds our government for the next two years. Throughout the legislative session, we fought for a state budget that invests in our communities, improves the lives of working Minnesotans, and protects us from the chaos we are seeing in Washington, D.C. As I have said from the beginning, a tied House requires compromise. While many of the budget bills we voted on have provisions I disagree with, they also take important steps forward in lowering costs for Minnesota families. I am proud that we got the job done for our constituents who expect their leaders to deliver.  We worked to stop numerous efforts to roll back the progress made in 2023 and 2024, like Paid Family and Medical Leave and Earned Sick and Safe Time, ensuring that individuals do not have to choose between their health and a paycheck. Minnesotans will still have reproductive freedom and universal free school meals, and our state’s strong clean energy, environmental protection, and gun violence prevention laws will remain intact because we held the line while still finding room for compromise and bipartisan solutions.  What Passed During Special SessionThe special session agreement negotiated by House leaders, the Senate, and the Governor laid out what must be passed to fund the state government and avoid a shutdown. At a time when the federal government is full of chaos and fighting, we came together to pass a budget that neither side is fully happy with because voters delivered us a divided government. As your representative, it was my job to look at these bills individually and vote according to how they will impact our neighbors and district. I voted for budget bills for Commerce, Energy, Environment and Natural Resources, Health, Children and Families, Higher Education, Human Services, Jobs and Labor, K-12 Education, Taxes, and Transportation. I also voted for a pair of Capital Investment bills that improve our state buildings, transportation, and water infrastructure. You can read about each of those bills in more detail at the linked articles from the House nonpartisan staff.  Legislative InterimThough the session has ended, my job as your representative has not. I will continue meeting with you in our district, talking to small businesses and our partners in local government about the work we still have ahead of us to strengthen Plymouth, Maple Grove, and our whole state. I will also continue to send these newsletters throughout the summer and fall to let you know about important updates to government programs and new laws going into effect. If you have any questions I can answer or ever need assistance navigating a state government matter, please do not hesitate to contact my office. It is an honor to represent you in the Minnesota House of Representatives.  |