Dear Neighbors, Happy New Year! I hope you all have had a peaceful and joyous start to 2022.  2022 Legislative Priorities We are less than two weeks away from the 2022 Legislative Session. This year, it is vital to invest in the workers and families who have helped get the state through the tough past two years. One issue preventing folks from fully joining the workforce is the inaccessibility of affordable childcare. If we provide childcare provider grants and work on waitlist reduction, we can take the steps needed to address this long-standing problem. We also must take action to offer worker protections such as paid family and medical leave, expanding unemployment insurance to those collecting Social Security, and Worker compensation for school employees who contract COVID-19. I am confident that working together, we can make substantial progress for all Minnesotans. Another issue we must address is supporting our educators during this tough time. Prior to the pandemic, teachers were already sacrificing so much for our children - often purchasing their own classroom equipment, working late hours, and responding to the needs of large class sizes. These issues have been exacerbated by the pandemic, as the shift to online teaching and uncertainty of funding creates a cloud of frustration. If you are working in our education system, I’d love to hear some of your ideas on what we can do to help you make it through the year and beyond. Hearing your opinion helps me to do my job better! You're Invited to a Town Hall! I’m excited to invite you to a Zoom town hall with your local legislators on Wednesday, January 26th, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM. To attend, please RSVP here. We’ll send out the Zoom link on the day of the town hall.  Student Loan Borrower’s Bill of Rights Are you a cosigner on someone’s college loan or maybe you know someone with student debt? Make sure to learn about the new Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights here. I was proud to support this piece of legislation for families across the state.  Keep in Touch You can contact me at rep.erin.koegel@house.mn or (651) 296-5369. You can now follow me on Facebook as well! I appreciate the opportunity to serve our district in the legislature and look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Erin Koegel State Representative |