 Neighbors, We are now about halfway through the 2026 legislative session. Recently, my days have been packed with committee hearings, bill presentations, and meaningful conversations with constituents. There is nothing more powerful than hearing directly from our local leaders, students, constituents, and advocates as they testify on legislation or just meet with me 1:1 and share the real impacts of proposed policies on our community.  This week, the House is on Easter/Passover Break, and in addition to having some downtime, I’ve been using this opportunity to catch up on emails, go to some community events, and get prepared for the final month and a half of session. If you celebrate one of these holidays, I hope you and your loved ones enjoy this special time. Voting to Protect MinnesotansLast week, the House DFL brought forward floor votes on legislation to keep ICE out of schools, ban assault weapons, and ban high-capacity magazines. Our communities have been calling on their legislators to act. I’m committed to doing everything we can to keep Minnesotans safe - especially kids. This was an opportunity for Republicans to show they take the issues seriously and put humanity over politics. Unfortunately, they continued to vote against all of these bills. Our kids deserve to go to school without the fear of federal agents terrorizing their classmates, teachers, and staff and without the fear of yet another deadly school shooting, like the one that has brought the Annunciation families into committee after committee to call for action. We’ll continue to use every tool we have to pass these bills and protect Minnesotans. Here are comments I made on the floor about the trauma ICE inflicted on SLP school students, families, and staff. And here are comments I made about banning high capacity magazines. Climate Bills and Meeting with StudentsThis Wednesday, I had the honor of being the keynote speaker for Breck School’s Environmental Day organized by their Climate Action Student Group, where we discussed what could be done by students to address climate change. Such an inspiring event - they asked some fantastic questions! Interacting with young people is one of the things that “fills my cup” and energizes me to keep pushing forward.  Addressing climate change is what inspired me to get involved in public service. If we don’t get climate right, it will continue to make every other issue worse. Adapting to climate change will cost Minnesotans $20 to $50 billion per year unless we make smart investments to prepare ourselves and our infrastructure. This comes from a just released study by the MN Pollution Control Agency, which was commissioned by the legislature in 2024. I explained the impact and opportunities in this video.  This year I’ve introduced several pieces of legislation combating climate change, including enabling “Plug-In Solar” in Minnesota, a low-cost and simple way for more Minnesotans to benefit from the cost savings of producing their own electricity. It would allow individuals, including renters, to purchase, install, and generate power by plugging a solar panel into a home outlet. I’m still hoping it can get done this session. As this and other bills advance, I’ll keep you updated. Just before break was our first and second deadlines for legislation. For policy bills to have a standalone path to being passed, they had to have cleared appropriate committees by Friday March 27th. So, we’re at that point in session when it’s starting to become clear what bills do and don’t have a chance at passing. No KingsMinnesota saw its largest protest in state history last Saturday, when approximately 200,000 of us joined at the Capitol for No Kings III. Minnesotans from all walks of life showed up peacefully to make their voices heard loud and clear. In the United States, no one is above the law, and no leader is beyond accountability. Thank you to everyone who showed up and spoke out to protect our democracy.  And in the morning before the event in St. Paul, it was fantastic to stop by the No Kings event in St. Louis Park. This was yet another inspiring event organized by the seniors at ParkShore. You’re Invited to a Town HallI’ll be hosting a town hall later this month on April 19th from 4:00 to 5:00 pm. Registration is required, and those who register will receive the location details and additional information. I’m sure there will be a lot to discuss, as there will then be about a month left in session. I hope to see you there!  Constituent Meetings Continue!We packed a lot of great constituent meetings into last week, from union representatives to physicians to nurses to disability advocates and more! Remember, I make ice cream every Sunday night and have it in a freezer in the Centennial Office Building, so I can share it with visitors.  |