Dear Neighbors, Today marks our first committee deadline of the session and it has been a very busy week at the Capitol. Among the legislation before us, the State Government committee heard my bill to appropriate $2,000,000 in public block grants for the stations of the Minnesota Public Television Association (MPTA). MPTA is comprised of the six noncommercial, educational television stations serving Minnesota households all of which are governed by nonprofit boards. Public television provides essential, educational services and I’m proud to be carrying this legislation.  Standing with Ukraine On Thursday – in response to Russian’s invasion of Ukraine – the Minnesota House unanimously passed broadly bipartisan legislation divesting Minnesota’s state pensions of Russian and Belarusian assets, and codifying Governor Walz’s Executive Order barring Minnesota from contracting with Russian companies. Minnesotans are reacting with horror at the brutal invasion of Ukraine. We’ve joined democracies around the world to let the 17,000 Ukrainians living in Minnesota know we stand by them, we will not waiver, and we hope our action and those taken across the globe will lead to a peaceful resolution of this terrible situation. You can read more about the bill here and a video recording of today’s floor debate can be found on the House Public Information YouTube channel.  COVID-19 Update Most mask mandates have been lifted but it is still very important to receive the COVID-19 vaccination and booster to keep you and your family safe. If you are not feeling well, get tested. You can still order up to four free COVID tests for your household. Visit this link to order your test kits and view many more resources. ________________________ Stay in Touch The Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services offers nonpartisan recaps of high-profile bills, committee hearings, and floor sessions with their Session Daily publication. Subscribe to receive these here. To track bills of interest through the legislative process, I encourage you to utilize the MyBills feature on the Minnesota House of Representatives’ website here. You can stay up to date on our work by subscribing to these legislative updates and “liking” my official Facebook page. For any questions you have on the resources available to our community or our work in the Minnesota House, you can reach me at rep.andrew.carlson@house.mn or leave a voicemail at (651) 296-4218. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Andrew Carlson State Representative |