Legislative Update - Virtual Town Hall with Speaker of the House

Dear Granite City Neighbors, 

As we reach the halfway point of the 2022 legislative session, I’m excited to share that once again Speaker Melissa Hortman will be able to join us for a virtual town hall to hear your concerns and provide an update of the state of things in St. Paul. 

We’ll be streaming the event on my Facebook page on Tuesday, April 5, at 7pm, but you’re also able to join us on Zoom by RSVPing to nathaniel.leonard@house.mn. I hope you’re able to make it, and I look forward to discussing our work in the remaining half of session. 

Standing With Ukraine

Last week, the Minnesota House unanimously passed a fast-tracked piece of 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. I co-authored this legislation so Minnesota can join democracies throughout the world in sanctioning the Russian government and standing up to Vladimir Putin’s bloody and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Passing this legislation will be one more hit to the pocketbooks of Russian oligarchs and an additional pressure point toward a peaceful resolution. You can read more about this bill and its impact here. 

Holding Big Tech Accountable

With the halfway point in session comes committee deadlines - the dates by which bills have to be heard by a committee in order to have a realistic chance of passing into law. This leads to a marathon of bill hearings for many members, and I wanted to highlight one of the many bills I’m crafting and pushing forward this year, one that takes on the monopolies formed by Big Tech. 

My bill, HF 1184, would break Big Tech’s app store monopolies to provide an even playing field for small app developers and entrepreneurs. The bill is similar to one co-sponsored at the federal level by Senator Amy Klobuchar. Apple and Google are abusing their status as the only gatekeepers to the mobile internet by forcing developers to use their app stores and charging them a 30% tax.

This legislation would break Apple and Google's app store monopolies to put small developers and entrepreneurs, along with consumers, on an even playing field. You can read the Star Tribune’s coverage of my bill here. 

Women’s History Month

March is Women’s History Month, and last week Polly and I attended a dinner celebrating International Women’s Day. Polly is lucky to have so many strong women to look up to as role models in our community, and I am incredibly proud to serve alongside a historic number of women legislators! Here are some of the bills we are working on to improve the lives of women across the state, including one to #EndPeriodPovertyMN, which I co-authored:

#EndPeriodPovertyMN (HF 2750)

Conversion Therapy Ban (HF 2156)

ERA MN (HF 406)

Homeless youth bill, including a study on pregnancy (HF 3661)

Uterine Fibroid Study (HF 2918)

Breast Cancer Testing (HF 2414)

WomenVenture Childcare (HF 2352)

St. Cloud International Women’s Day

Stay Connected

I want to make sure we’re finishing out the remainder of this legislative session strong, so please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments you may have on our work in the Minnesota House. I work for you, and I want to hear from you! 

Our State Office Building is open to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, so let me know if you’re stopping by! You can contact me at rep.dan.wolgamott@house.mn, or give me a call at (651) 296-6612. I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Rep. Dan Wolgamott