Dear Neighbors,
We started off last week with Sovereignty Day at the Capitol. It was an educational opportunity for legislators and included tribal history, culture, sovereignty, and the interplay between federal, state, and tribal law. It was an honor to have the opportunity to listen and learn more from the leaders of the eleven sovereign tribal nations in Minnesota. Learn more about sovereignty day here.
Here are some other updates from the Capitol.
Town Hall Thank You
Thank you to everyone who came out to the District 50 town hall! It’s always so great to see our community come together and I appreciate seeing so many new faces since redistricting. I also want to thank the League of Women Voters for doing a fantastic job hosting. I hope to see you at the next one!
Legalizing Affordable Housing
My bill which would make several zoning reforms and changes to development laws to make it easier to build affordable housing was heard recently. The Legalize Affordable Housing Act seeks to make comprehensive reforms to allow for more housing across the state, while taking into account the needs of all relevant parties. Zoning laws are frequently used to enforce discriminatory practices and over time lead to environmentally unsustainable building habits. In addition, current development habits are leading to ever increasing costs, making new entry level affordable homes incredibly scarce.
Capital Investment/Local Jobs & Projects Bill
The Minnesota House voted to approve nearly $1.9 billion in investments for local jobs and projects throughout the state.
The package of legislation we passed addresses hundreds of critical infrastructure projects that have gone unfunded for too long. There are leaky roofs in state buildings, an outdated campus chemistry laboratory, unstable riverbanks, kids taking unsafe routes to schools, housing that needs to be built for our most vulnerable and failing wastewater infrastructure.
These and other projects are crucial to communities throughout the state, and inflation is only causing them to go up higher in cost the longer we delay. Unfortunately Senate Republicans refused to come to the table to vote for this legislation, deciding to play political games around their partisan priorities instead. Hopefully we can come to an agreement later this session.
Emergency Rental Assistance
Last Thursday, in the face of skyrocketing evictions and rent increases, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed House File 1440, which delivers $50 million in emergency rental assistance to the state’s Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program.
Through much of the pandemic, federal rental assistance allowed Minnesotans to maintain housing stability. Many of those funds dried up in January of 2022, but the economic challenges facing low-income families did not. As a result, Minnesota experienced a skyrocketing eviction rate last year with more than 20,000 filed. Many counties across the state have seen 100% increases in eviction filings over pre-pandemic levels. This legislation is just one aspect of our efforts to improve housing outcomes for all Minnesotans.
Keep in Touch
Don’t hesitate to reach out if I can provide any assistance. Please follow me on my Facebook page for further updates and invite your friends and family to do so as well.
Thanks for the honor of representing you at the Capitol.
Sincerely,
Steve Elkins
Representative, District 50B
Minnesota House of Representatives