Legislative Update - RSVP for another Donuts with Dan!

Dear Granite City Neighbors,

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed the glorious weather!

Last week was another exciting week at the State Capitol. In addition to celebrating our accomplishments with some state and local advocates, we also continue to pass impactful policy bills off the House floor. On top of all of that, I’m hosting another “Donuts with Dan” office hours event to touch base with our St. Cloud neighbors as we head into the final weeks of the legislative session.

You can read about that and more in this week’s legislative update!

Donuts with Dan

From now until the end of session in May (we’re required to be done by May 20th), things really get kicked into high gear in St. Paul, and I want to make sure my work is directly rooted in the voices of my constituents.

I’m excited to announce I’ll be hosting another “Donuts with Dan” office hours on Monday, April 22, from 4-6pm at the Carpenters Union Local 930 at 24086 Highway 15, Saint Augusta, MN 56301.

You can RSVP for this event by clicking here. 

I’m proud to partner with Carpenters Union Local 930 to fight for working families and good paying jobs at the Capitol, and I’m grateful to partner with them to host this constituent outreach event.

Regardless of whether you’re able to join me for some donuts, always feel free to reach out with any questions or comments you may have - your input is invaluable to my work in the Minnesota House.

Public Safety, K-12 Education, Elections, and Labor

Like the week before, we spent a good amount of time on the House floor passing the packages of policy proposals put forward by our House committees. We passed policies to protect victims of crime, open doors for more special education teachers, and preserve the integrity of our elections while making them more accessible - and that’s just the briefest of previews of what we voted on.

I encourage you to read these non-partisan summaries of the policy bills we passed last week:

• Public Safety
• K-12 Education
• Elections

In addition to these bills, we also passed the Labor Committee’s policy proposals, which, in addition to numerous other bills that require salary ranges be included in job postings or prohibit employers from paying for credit card fees with an employee's tips, also included my legislation to clarify licensing requirements for well contractors!

I know, maybe not the most exciting policy idea, but if you’re a well contractor - or someone that plans on using one - it’s a good one! 

St. David’s Center for Children & Family Development

I’m incredibly proud to partner with Rep. Bernie Perryman to co-present House File 3497 to the Capital Investment Committee, which would fund $400K for St. David’s Center for Children & Family Development to expand their services at a new facility in St. Cloud.

Serving 1,500 children annually, the new facility will include an early childhood education center, culturally-responsive preschool mental health treatment classrooms for young children impacted by trauma and diagnosed with autism, and outpatient medical health and pediatric therapies.

Bringing St. David’s to St. Cloud will provide services that change lives!

Celebrating Our Success - UFCW & MNAFEE

Even as we continue our work, it’s important to take stock of what we’ve accomplished. I’m thankful to the United Food and Commercial Workers and the Minnesota Association for Family and Early Education for reminding me of that last week!

I joined UFCW workers to celebrate the passage of the Minnesota Meat & Poultry Processing Workers Act!

It was a three-year legislative battle, but we persevered and passed comprehensive workplace protections to ensure processing workers have access to the benefits and training they need to work safely.

I’m honored to partner with UFCW to score legislative victories for workers’ rights! If that wasn’t enough, I was also named “Friend of the Year” by the Minnesota Association for Family and Early Education.

As a father, I’ve experienced firsthand the importance of early childhood education. I’m deeply honored to receive this award in recognition of our success in empowering parents and families to ensure children get the best start in life.

Last year, I was the House Author of legislation funding support staff at the Minnesota Department of Education charged with assisting ECFE programs throughout the state - programs like Sara McKeever’s, a Parent Educator at St. Cloud Area School District 742. Thank you for everything you do, Sara!

“From the Capitol” Radio Interview

Be sure to tune in to WJON every Wednesday at 10:40am, when I join Kelly Cordes to discuss the latest legislative news. Last week, Kelly and I did a deeper dive on some of the topics mentioned above, namely the upcoming “Donuts with Dan” and my bipartisan bill presented with Rep. Perryman in the House Capital Investment Committee. 

You can catch our conversation here.

You can tune in every week to hear me on WJON, Wednesdays at 10:40am.

Stay Connected

That’s it for now! Thank you for reading, and whether or not you’re able to join me for donuts on the 22nd, always feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or ideas you may have. You can email me at rep.dan.wolgamott@house.mn.gov or give my office a call at 651-296-6612.

As always, you can also stay up to date by following my official Facebook page, subscribing to these regular email updates if you haven’t already, and checking my legislative webpage for the latest information from my office. 

Have a wonderful week!

Sincerely, 

Rep. Dan Wolgamott

Speaker Pro Tempore

District 14B