Dear Neighbors, The bulk of the legislative work last week took place in committees as we unveiled our two-year state budget proposals. Each finance committee in the House and Senate presented their respective budget bills to committee members, and have spent the week hearing testimony, amending the legislation, and voting the bills out of committee. Some broad highlights of our budget priorities include: - Historic investments in public education
- Targeted investments to make child care more accessible and affordable
- Direct and targeted economic relief including property tax cuts
- Transformational investments to address our statewide housing crisis
Several of my individual bills and priorities are included in these bills, including: - Capping the cost of insulin, epi-pens, and asthma medications and related medical supplies
- Investments in ongoing support for Family, Friend and Neighbor child care networks
- Significant funding to build and preserve naturally occurring affordable housing, our state’s first ever investment in such an initiative
I’m excited to share more about our budget priorities after our break and as we proceed this session so stay tuned! $50 Million in Emergency Rental AssistanceOur bill for $50 million in long overdue emergency rental assistance has been signed into law! Thank you to Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman, Governor Tim Walz, and housing advocates from across the state who have worked for more than a year to make this happen. And we're just getting started! |