Dear Neighbors, I apologize for my lack of newsletters recently; I appreciate your patience. I recently finished a town hall tour to two cities on the Iron Range, where we discussed trans rights. I'm so proud of our queer and trans community members who are working to protect and advocate for each other. My office is now planning a town hall for District 66A this fall, so please keep an eye out for more details.  I hope you had a fantastic summer! As families across Minnesota get ready for the 'Back-to-School' season, many are concerned about rising costs. I want to remind you; the Minnesota Department of Revenue offers two key tax relief programs for families with children in kindergarten through 12th grade: the K-12 Education Subtraction and the K-12 Education Credit. Both programs are designed to help lower your taxes and may provide a larger refund when you file Form M1, Individual Income Tax. Please reach out to my office if you or a loved one is being impacted by the “Big Ugly Bill”, my office will support you in any way we can. I wanted to provide you with a few legislative updates. Please take a moment to read them below. Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act In 2024, DFLers passed the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act (MCDPA), which is now taking effect. The MCDPA helps safeguard consumers’ data and their right to privacy and provides Minnesota residents with the power to control how their data is used by companies and other parties. The Attorney General’s Office enforces the MCDPA and ensures that businesses and covered entities follow the law. They have a website set up to assist you in learning about and exercising your rights. Learn more here.  News Laws This August, a number of important new laws went into effect in Minnesota, including my free water bill. These new policies are designed to improve public safety, protect vulnerable Minnesotans, and update our state’s legal frameworks. Highlights include: - Stricter DWI laws that require repeat offenders to use ignition interlock devices, extending the “lookback” period for prior offenses and increasing penalties for those who try to bypass the law.
- Housing protections for service dog trainers, ensuring that they are not denied housing or charged extra fees for having a service dog in training. This helps reduce barriers for these vital volunteers.
- Wider criminal background checks for applicants for adult entertainment or massage therapy business licenses, allowing local governments to use a national database for greater public safety.
For a full list of the new laws that went into effect visit the House webpage here.  Highschool Page Program The Minnesota House of Representatives High School Page Program is now accepting applications for the 2026 legislative session which begins on February 17, 2026. Since 1975, Juniors from throughout the state have traveled to Saint Paul to spend a week in our magnificent Capitol building. Pages serve as support staff for all House and conference committee hearings and assist other departments in their duties. During session, pages assist members in the House chamber by obtaining copies of bills or other legislative materials and delivering messages from the public or other members. They also assist in preparing for a daily session by placing agendas and orders on each member's desk, as well as passing out amendments and other data during debate. Visit the House webpage for more information.  Changes to Public Access at Capitol To enhance public safety at the Minnesota State Capitol, the Department of Public Safety has implemented new security measures. The number of public entrances has been reduced from three to two, both located on the south side of the building. Visitors will now enter through the main south entrance at the top of the Capitol steps or the ground-level accessible entrance beneath the steps. Additionally, access from the Minnesota Senate Building parking ramp to the Capitol is now restricted to key card holders. We hope these changes will improve safety for everyone coming to the Capitol, as a strong community presence is vital to our democratic process. Minnesota State Fair I'm proud to represent the district that's home to the Minnesota State Fair, recently voted the best state fair in the nation. I'm especially looking forward to trying all the new menu items and spending time with friends and family. If you have any questions or need ideas on how to get to the fair this year, here is a helpful article that outlines some quick tips. |