Dear Neighbors, I hope you’re all having a fun and safe summer. I wanted to check in and write to you about some of our new laws, an upcoming Town Hall, and what else I’ve been up to during the legislative interim. On July 1, our new state budget took effect, along with the majority of the new policies we enacted this past session. More of those laws were implemented at the start of this month, too. As with all of this year’s successful legislation, these new laws are the product of bipartisan compromise. While there are certainly components of the budget I wish went further, especially as President Trump and Congressional Republicans cut services for our state, there are still plenty of new commonsense policies and investments to be proud of. Minnesota Public Radio provided a brief overview of some of these laws and more in July and August, but if you’d like a deep dive of what’s been implemented, you can read a nonpartisan summary of all the new laws here. Salvation Army Back to School Drive The start of school is right around the corner, and while I’m so proud of the accomplishments we fought to pass and protect - education funding tied to inflation, free school breakfast and lunch, and making our schools safer and healthier - more still needs to be done to give our kids the world-class education they deserve. To that end, I was honored to take part in this year’s Salvation Army Back to School Drive in our community. Neighbors came together to ensure more of our students are heading back to the classroom with the supplies they need to succeed! |