Dear Neighbors,
I hope the transition back to school for those of you with students in your family has been smooth and that they are well on their path to academic achievement. With fall upon us, we’re still about five months away from the 2018 legislative session convening, and folks will often ask what the position of state representative entails during this period between sessions. All year long, I’ve attempted to bring those in the community along with me on my path as a first-year legislator, so I’d like to try to shed some light on what occurs during the “interim.”
During the interim much of my time is devoted to meeting with folks in the community about important concerns and learning about issues facing the state. Much of this effort is aimed at preparing legislation for the following session. Recently I had the opportunity to take a tour of the St. Louis River Estuary and have a discussion about cleanup efforts with St. Louis River Alliance Director Kris Eilers. I also recently had a great chat with advocates from Chum about affordable housing, and got to have lunch at Denfeld High School with Duluth School Board Member Rosie Loeffler-Kemp.
House committees and other legislative commissions also continue to meet rather regularly. One of these is the Legislative Energy Commission, of which I am a member. Energy can be a challenging, rapidly changing issue, and this commission gives legislators an opportunity to dig deep into the details of the topic. There are very in-depth discussions about the various types of utilities, pricing, efficiencies, developments concerning renewables, and various other innovations, such as electric vehicles. Also at the Capitol this interim I’ve had productive, bipartisan discussions with my colleagues about steps we can take to address the opioid crisis.
To be sure, timely issues come during the interim as well which require attention from legislators. An example of this was President Trump’s reckless action to repeal protections for immigrants under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Those immigrants (often referred to as Dreamers) under this program came to the U.S. as children, and for many of them, our nation is their only home; period. In Minnesota, immigrants make up the fabric of many of our communities, and they make tremendous contributions to our culture and to our economy. The president’s effort ignores this reality, and I was pleased to sign on to a letter requesting he and the U.S. Congress take immediate steps to protect these young people.
Changing gears a bit, I attended the Energy Fair at Harriet Island in St. Paul earlier this month. There were dozens of workshops and exhibits with valuable information about how we call all work toward a more sustainable future. My family and I even got to test out an electric bike.
I also visited the Minnesota State Fair this year. In addition to tasting some terrific foods, the state fair presented a unique opportunity to learn about the activities of many different civic organizations as well as some new and emerging technologies. Also at the fair, the Minnesota House conducts a nonscientific survey at its booth to gauge public opinion on a variety of topics. Some of them come up year after year, and some of there are more specific. You can see the questions and results here. While it’s important to remember this poll is nonscientific, this can provide some good insight into the viewpoints of Minnesotans.
What do you think about these questions? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on them, especially the ones you may be passionate about. It’s an honor to represent you, and I hope you will remain engaged about these and other issues as we continue to push, build, and resist.
Sincerely,
Liz Olson
State Representative – District 7B
Rep. Liz Olson
221 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
Phone: 651-296-4246
E-mail: rep.liz.olson@house.mn
Legislative Assistant: Madeleine Garces, 651-296-2955