Protecting Reproductive RightsAmong the bad-faith bills Republicans have been bringing to the House Floor are a slew of bills threatening Minnesotans’ reproductive rights. Thursday, House Republicans brought two of these bills to the House Floor; the first, known as the “Born Alive” bill is an attempt to solve an issue that doesn’t exist. This bill would prohibit parents of infants who are not compatible with life from holding and comforting their terminal newborn in the few moments they have between inducing birth and the passing of the child. Instead, the bill would require medical professionals to perform life saving measures on a child who will not survive. The second bill re-routes funding for organizations that provide real reproductive healthcare, like Planned Parenthood, and sends it to crisis pregnancy centers, which are often religious organizations that use pressure and scare tactics to persuade scared young pregnant people into continuing their pregnancy rather than informing them on their options. These attempts are nothing more than political theatre, and they did not pass the House Floor. DFLers have and will continue to fight for reproductive rights. I was proud to participate in last week’s reproductive health rally with UnRestrict Minnesota, and I am proud to author the bill to create the Reproductive Rights Equity Fund. Minnesotans deserve the right to make choices about their own reproductive health.  Elections CommitteeAfter historic voter turnout for a special election in Roseville, the Minnesota House will be returning to a 67-67 tie upon the swearing in of Representative-Elect David Gottfried next week. This means that committees will be returning to an even split of Democrats and Republicans, and I’ll officially be taking up the gavel as Co-Chair of the Elections Committee. While I maintain a good relationship with my Co-Chair, Rep. Duane Quam, I’m relieved that sole Republican control of committees is coming to a close. Now, DFLers will be able to halt GOP attempts to put up artificial barriers to voting and tear down the progress we made last term to improve access and security of Minnesota elections. Now, with displays of virtue signaling and political theater hopefully behind us, we can get to work on crafting a bipartisan budget that benefits the entire state. In the Elections committee, it’s our job to ensure the Campaign Finance Board and the Secretary of State are properly funded so they can carry out essential functions that serve Minnesota. Celebrating 50 Years of the Page ProgramThis week, the House celebrated the 50-year anniversary of the High School Page program with a resolution on the Floor. The program allows high school students from Minnesota to participate in House proceedings! It was a delightful surprise to see that the founder of the Page program, M.J. Hedstrom, lives in our district!  If you know a high schooler who may be interested in participating in the program, please reach out to my office. SD43 Town HallJoin your District 43 lawmakers for an upcoming Town Hall meeting on Saturday, March 15th, 2025, at the Hennepin County Library’s Golden Valley branch. This is a great opportunity to hear about what's happening in our district and share your questions and concerns. Hope to see you there!  Daylight Savings... Again!Have you been feeling especially tired this week from needlessly losing an hour of sleep? You’re not alone. This time of year, my bill to eliminate the unnecessary time change and adopt year-round standard time gets a lot of attention in the media. I’ve carried this bill for multiple terms, and previously passed it as adopting permanent daylight saving time instead of standard time. Unfortunately, we cannot move to daylight saving time without congressional authorization, but we can move to standard time without it in the meantime. I just want to eliminate the time change. This bill transcends party lines – Democrats and Republicans both love it and hate it! I have received some notes of concern from constituents to remind me that we have bigger fish to fry than daylight saving time, and I completely agree. This is a bill that generates a lot of attention from state and local media this time of year, so you’ve likely heard about it quite a bit over the past week. I want to stress that this bill, while offered a moment of bipartisan levity on the Floor Monday, is certainly not towards the top of my list of pressing issues. My energies are focused on making life more affordable for Minnesotans, passing a balanced state budget, and protecting our progress from last term. Adopt Me! To help combat the chaos in the news and from the White House, I want to take a moment for positivity each week. The Animal Humane Society is right here in our district and does great work to ensure animals in need find loving homes, provide affordable care for pets in our community, and initiate animal education. Meet Sara, a senior Jack Russell terrier mix seeking her forever home. At 11 years old, Sara could use a home that doesn't challenge her ways too much, so a home without other dogs is necessary. Sara is a spunky gal who loves keeping busy with toys, fetch, and cuddles. Stop into the Golden Valley Humane Society to meet Sara and add her to your family! P.S. - Bella from my last newsletter has found her fur-ever home! |