Dear Neighbors,
I can report that the remaining budget bills have all received initial approval in the Minnesota House of Representatives—wrapping up what has been the busiest two-week stretch of the 2023 legislative session. For the last 14 days-plus, we have spent hours on the House floor debating and voting on these massive bills—many of which are hundreds of pages long.
The bills now head to conference committee where differences will be hashed out between the House and Senate versions. Once the House and Senate reach agreement, the bills will come before us one more time for final approval.
As always, I am doing my best to make sure Your Backyard is well represented in St. Paul as I look to build bridges and find solutions that we can all be proud of.
One bill in particular that I would like to highlight is the education budget and policy bill. All of us support strong schools and want to see our students succeed and reach their full potential. That’s why I voted for the House Republican education plan that would have delivered historic funding directly to school districts and provided them with the flexibility they need to equip students with a world-class education.
While our plan was not adopted, it nevertheless did a good job contrasting two very different approaches to funding education.
Our educational leaders know best how to serve local students. They need flexible funding to increase opportunities for our children. I was disappointed to see that the Majority plan will reduce money going directly to classrooms and will saddle local school boards with dozens of mandates that will make it more difficult for our educators to meet the needs of students. I will continue working with all stakeholders to address issues facing students and educators.
 | | For too long, the legislature has acted as a statewide school board—micromanaging all school districts and burdening them with restrictions. I listen to and trust our local school boards, education leaders, and teachers to provide students with the tools they need for a bright future. That’s why our plan provided historic, flexible funding without burdensome mandates and represented the right path forward for Minnesota. |
Staying in Touch
Check out my Op-Ed that was published in the Laker Pioneer this week! Click here to read: https://bit.ly/3LwPQ80.
If you plan on being in St. Paul sometime soon, I encourage you to reach out to my office to set up a time to meet and chat! It is always my goal to be as responsive as possible to the needs and priorities of you and Your Backyard.
Please do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-9188 or via email at rep.andrew.myers@house.mn.gov.
Have a great day,
Andrew