Beloved Community,
We are in the last few days of session and we are continuing to achieve major accomplishments. Pretty soon we’ll have passed our remaining budget bills and adjourn until next February! Here’s some of what we’ve completed so far:
Transformational Public Safety and Judiciary Budget
The public safety portion of the report invests in a diverse set of tools to improve public safety. It prioritizes a holistic approach on gun violence prevention, community violence prevention, restorative justice, and juvenile justice reform, and more. This report will create a safer Minnesota while working to break cycles of crime and violence.
With significant investments in public defense and civil legal services, the creation of an Office of Appellate Counsel, the protection of students’ personal information, and the elimination of court document fees, the Judiciary portion of the bill is building a system to more equitably serve the people of Minnesota.
Historic K-12 budget
We passed our final K-12 budget bill which invests $2.2 billion new dollars into our education system. This includes a 4% per-pupil increase in the general education formula in 2024 and a 2% increase in 2025 for an investment totaling $704 million. This increase is then linked to inflation in following years. This is the largest investment in our students in a generation and it is sorely needed!
Early Childhood Budget
Our final Early Childhood budget invests a historic $300 million over the next four years in Great Start scholarships. These early learning scholarships increase access to high-quality early care and learning programs for lower-income and vulnerable children to improve school readiness and allow parents to access employment and education opportunities.
House Passes Final Adult Use Cannabis Bill
We passed our legal marijuana bill! It would permit a person aged 21 or older to:
- possess up to 2 ounces of cannabis flower in a public place or 2 pounds in a person’s residence;
- possess or transport no more than 8 grams of adult-use cannabis concentrate;
- possess or transport edible products infused with up to 800 milligrams of THC;
- give away cannabis flower and cannabinoid products in an amount that is legal for a person to possess in public;
- use cannabis flower and cannabinoid products in private areas; and
- cultivate up to eight cannabis plants, of which four or fewer may be mature, flowering plants.
Equal Rights Act
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Minnesota ratified the ERA in 1973. It has been a long and hard-fought battle to get the ERA ratified, but it is more important than ever we continue to fight for this important amendment. That's why I was proud to vote for a resolution urging Congress to ratify the ERA. Together, we can make sure that all Americans have the same rights under the law, regardless of their sex.
Final Higher Education Budget Passes
We approved the Higher Education Budget this week. Most importantly it provides free college to families with household income under $80,000! This means more students will be able to realize their higher education goals than ever before! Thank you to Sen. Fateh for leading on this important issue!
Keep In Touch
As always, feel free to reach out with any feedback or questions you have for me! I always appreciate working in partnership with you. You can also follow me on my Facebook page. Everything is moving quickly right now so be sure to stay connected.
In solidarity,
Aisha Gomez
651-296-7152
rep.aisha.gomez@house.mn.gov