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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Sondra Erickson (R)

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Legislative Update from Rep. Sondra Erickson

Friday, January 15, 2021

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Dear Neighbors,

Restaurants across Minnesota are now open for indoor dining. I encourage you to take time this weekend to patronize these small businesses in our community.

The first full week of the 2021 legislative session has ended as most of our time was spent in committee with introductory hearings. As a reminder, I have been appointed to serve on the following committees:

  • Ethics (Republican Lead)
  • Higher Education Finance and Policy
  • Education Finance
  • Education Policy (Republican Lead)

These committee assignments afford me the opportunity to play a key role in developing policy to ensure that every student in Minnesota receives a world-class education.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the academic trajectory of an entire generation of students. Now, more than ever, we need to come to a full understanding of the harm being done to students due to school closures so that we can try and change course before it is too late.

Ending Walz’s Emergency Powers

I am disappointed that House Democrats were once again unwilling to provide the votes needed to end Governor Walz’s peacetime emergency powers.

Minnesota remains in the longest peacetime emergency in state history and the Governor’s executive orders and closures have devastated our economy and failed to protect vulnerable Minnesotans in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

Despite this week’s disappointment, I remain committed to working to end the Governor’s emergency powers, restore the legislature as a constitutional co-equal branch of government, and make sure that Minnesotans voices are represented again with the legislature back on equal footing with Governor Walz.

COVID-19 Vaccine Update

The State of Minnesota has launched a new online dashboard that give the public the opportunity to track COVID-19 vaccine allocation, distribution, and administration in Minnesota. The goal is to keep you informed on COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

The new website is produced by Minnesota IT Services and the Minnesota Department of Health. The dashboard includes information on the number of doses allocated to the state by the federal government; shipped to Minnesota providers; and ultimately administered to Minnesotans.

You can access the dashboard at https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/data/

Staying in Touch

Please be sure to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-6746 or via email at rep.sondra.erickson@house.mn.

Have a good day,

Sondra