 Dear Neighbors, Thanks to everyone who braved the AQI for our District 67 town hall yesterday evening. We had an excellent turnout, and lots of good discussions around property taxes, the construction on Arcade Street, and updates from this past legislative session. I especially want to thank Councilmember Cheniqua Johnson for joining our conversation.  I’m thinking of all Minnesotans impacted by the wildfires in the Boundary Waters and Canada. A big thank you to all of the rangers, firefighters and first responders helping respond to these fires and helping evacuate folks to safety. This is a reminder to be mindful when putting out campfires; the intensity and impact of wildfires like this will continue to be compounded with climate change. As a result of the wildfire smoke, the state and the Twin Cities are under a hazardous air quality advisory for the next couple of days. You can monitor MPCA alerts here and track wildfires here. Please be sure to wear PPE if you must be outdoors. You can reference guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health here on how to stay safe during this smoke advisory.  While I’m glad for the progress we made in these areas, I can’t help but be reminded of the potential that was not realized this session. We could have given Minnesotans whose constitutional rights were violated by federal agents a legal remedy. We could have banned secret police by outlawing the use of masks and unmarked vehicles to terrorize our communities. We could have saved lives with an assault weapons ban and safe storage requirements. We could have delivered equal rights for all Minnesotans with the ERA. We could have delivered on the things Minnesotans are demanding most – if it wasn’t for Republicans blocking progress at every turn. I plan to introduce bills to make sure that you keep more of your hard-earned paychecks. When we head back to the Legislature in January, and we have the power to pass bills without Republicans standing in our way, I believe we can get these things done. I’ll continue to fight for working families on the Eastside, and across the state! GOOD NEWS: Minnesota’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Program is WorkingMore than 75,000 Minnesotans have already been approved for Paid Leave benefits since our PFML program started. This allows workers to take paid, job-protected time off to welcome a new child, recover from a serious health condition, or care for a loved one. More than 38,000 families have used the program for bonding leave with a new child. You should know, more than half of applicants earn less than $78,000 per year, nearly half live outside the Twin Cities metro. Before Paid Leave, many of these workers - including our neighbor on the Eastside, had to ration food when they had to take time off to take care of family members going through health issues. Nationwide, only about 27% of workers have access to paid family leave through their jobs, so I’m proud Minnesota is leading the way! Strong families build strong communities, right? I'm proud to have supported this landmark investment in working families, and I'll continue working to protect and strengthen programs that help make Minnesota one of the best places in the country to live, work, and raise a family. Learn more about the program here. Reminder: APA Museum Comment Submission DeadlineThe Commission for a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture is still taking comments to help shape the future of a national APA Museum through the end of July. You can submit comments here. Last UpdateDuring an election period, legislators cannot use state resources for unsolicited communications because it might create an unfair advantage. Therefore, this will be my last e-update until after the election. I am still available to help with any state-level problems and discuss issues important to our community, so please reach out if I can assist in any way. I can be reached at rep.liz.lee@house.mn.gov or 651-296-4277. Thank you for the honor of representing our Eastside neighbors at the State Capitol. Zoo siab, Liz Lee
State Representative |