Legislative Update - October 31, 2019

Dear Neighbors, 

With the weather getting colder, there is plenty to look forward to, including outdoor activities that make up much of our fabric as Minnesotans. Unfortunately for many in our community, winter can pose difficulties when energy bills start piling up. No family should be left out in the cold, and help is available to make sure this doesn’t happen. For more information, including eligibility and how to apply, please visit the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s website here.

Taking on Big Tobacco

This week, I was proud to stand next to my colleagues as well as educators and students as we announced our comprehensive plan to prevent youth tobacco use, especially e-cigarette use or "vaping."

Big Tobacco is using misinformation and child-friendly flavors to market their products to children, and as a result we’ve seen the first rise in tobacco use among Minnesota’s youth in 17 years. It’s time to take this seriously, and I look forward to working on this issue next session.

Conservation Minnesota Town Hall

I’m excited to share that I’ll be working with the folks at Conservation Minnesota to hold an environment-focused town hall in our community on November 16. Minnesota’s natural beauty is one of our greatest treasures, and it’s important that we protect it for future generations. I hope to see you there as we discuss environmental issues impacting our community, and how we can solve them.

In addition to this town hall, the House Climate Action Caucus, of which I am a member, is continuing to hold public conversation on ways we can take on climate change in our work at the Legislature. The next event will focus on housing legislation, and you can find more information on our Facebook event page.

Investing in Safe Schools 

Minnesotans deserve safe and secure schools, and protecting our students is of the highest priority in our work at the Legislature. As part of Minnesota’s new education budget passed earlier this year, over $30 million in funds will be available for Minnesota’s schools at the end of the month as part of the 2020 Safe Schools Supplemental Aid. That includes $289,708 for the Stillwater Area Public School District.

The 2020 State Schools Supplemental Aid is a one-time appropriation included with school districts’ Integrated Department of Education Aid System (IDEAS) payment. This investment will better ensure that our community is able to address the unique safety needs of our schools – such as mental health counseling, facility security enhancements, peace officer liaisons, gang resistance education training, and other safety provisions.

A Plan for Robo Calls 

Robo-calls are disruptive and cause people to not want to pick up the phone when it rings. And in fact, Minnesotans on average have received 58 robo-calls so far this year. My colleagues introduced a plan to crack down on the calls to protect Minnesotans from the predatory scams, and I look forward to supporting the bill during the 2020 legislative session. You can read more about the plan from MPR here or watch the WCCO clip here.

Minnesota Values Project As mentioned in my previous update, the Minnesota Values Project is an ongoing partnership between Minnesotans and the legislature. We’re working together to create a shared vision for the future of our state, and your input is an important part of this process! You can let us know what’s important to you, your community, and Minnesota by taking a quick survey here before we close it out soon!

Stay In Touch!

As always, if you have any questions about the topics raised in this update, please feel free to contact me. During the interim I’ll be back home working with neighbors to find solutions to the issues facing our community and state, and I always appreciate your input! You can reach me at (651) 296-4244 or rep.shelly.christensen@house.mn. I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Representative Shelly Christensen