Dear Neighbors,
The pace at the State Capitol has become extremely busy. Tonight is the first deadline for bills to pass through committees, so meetings have been lengthy and frequent. Along with these hearings, I’m meeting with many constituents visiting the State Capitol.
Here are Protect Minnesota members visiting from Duluth, advocating for gun violence prevention.
UMD students visited to advocate for campus infrastructure investments, namely Higher Education Asset Repair and Preservation (HEAPR) funding.
AFSCME members held their Day at the Capitol. These hardworking Minnesotans deserve fair pay and benefits for the critical services they provide.
Town Hall Meeting
Rep. Liz Olson, Sen. Erik Simonson, and I are hosting a Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, April 7 at 10:00 a.m. at Glensheen. We will each give a brief overview on the status of the legislative session, but much of the time will be devoted to questions and feedback from community members. This will be a great opportunity for you to share your ideas and talk about what you value. Everyone is welcome, and I hope to see you there.
WHAT: Town Hall Meeting
WHO: Rep. Jen Schultz, Rep. Liz Olson, Sen. Erik Simonson
WHERE: Glensheen, 3300 London Rd, Duluth
WHEN: Saturday, April 7 at 10:00 a.m. - noon
Governor’s State of the State and Supplemental Budget
Last week Gov. Mark Dayton delivered his eighth and final State of the State address. Under his leadership, our state budget went from a $6 billion deficit to ongoing fiscal stability and a top-performing economy. Gov. Dayton has made historic investments in education, including all-day kindergarten and expanded pre-K opportunities. In his State of the State, Gov. Dayton highlighted much of this legacy, but also looked ahead to the work we still have in front of us this session.
Many of these objectives were included in his supplemental budget proposal, released late last week. His budget focuses on increasing tax fairness for families, continued investments in Minnesota’s youngest learners, expanded access to affordable health care, and measures improving economic opportunities for all Minnesotans. The budget is also sustainable, with money left in reserve.
A budget is a reflection of our values, and in the coming days and weeks we will be exploring his proposal and others. For my part, I’ll be working to pass a budget and state tax policies that improve opportunities for all Minnesota families.
Gun Violence Prevention
Since the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, we’ve seen a renewed push to enact common-sense policies to end gun violence. With so many Minnesotans calling for overdue change, we saw two bills receive committee hearings in the Minnesota House. One would expand criminal background checks on gun sales. Another would allow law enforcement or family members to petition a court to temporarily remove someone’s access to firearms if they are found to be a danger to themselves or someone else. Unfortunately, these broadly supported measures have stalled in the Republican controlled legislature.
On Saturday, students, families, and others concerned about this issue will march in Washington, in St. Paul, and all over the country including right here in Duluth. In order to keep building momentum to enact life-saving changes, regular people need to continue making their voices heard. Saturday’s March for Our Lives is one way in which we can do that.
Great Lakes Commission
Earlier this month I traveled to Washington, D.C., for a meeting of the Great Lakes Commission. We discussed a number of important topics, including supporting the cruising industry, which is vital to tourism as Duluth is one of four communities being proposed to host a U.S. Customs Clearing facility, restoring $300 million of funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to clean up areas of concern, and addressing aquatic invasive species. All of the resolutions discussed can be found here. I also met with U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin to discuss the Foxconn project and the seven million daily gallons of water the proposed plant would seek to divert from Lake Michigan.
Last year at a GLC meeting, I had successfully introduced a resolution to address emerging contaminants of concern in the Great Lakes. At the recent meeting, we included this resolution into the priorities of the commission’s Blue Accounting initiative to ensure safe and clean drinking water. The GLC also selected Duluth as one of nine showcase communities. You can read more about this issue here.
In closing, I’d like to recognize the work of a few community members. Sara Priest, Angie Miller and Jenny Van Sickle of Community Action Duluth won an award for the Bike Plus program from Community Action MN. Congratulations!
As always, I invite you to stay in touch with your comments and ideas. It’s an honor to represent you.
Sincerely,
Jen Schultz
State Representative