Friends,
The first half of the 2018 Session has come to a close and we have been hard at work for Minnesotans. We now will take a short break for the Passover & Easter holidays before getting back at it on April 9th.
Have a Happy Passover & Easter with your loved ones.
School Safety Package
On Thursday, we unveiled a legislative package aimed at putting student safety first. We have taken a multifaceted approach that includes more resources to meet the needs of students and schools statewide which includes everything from hiring more school resource officers, student counselors and mental health professionals to making critical building security upgrades. In total, House Republicans are proposing approximately $50 million for mental health and school safety funding, double the amount proposed by Governor Dayton.
We have heard from school officials, teachers, parents, and students about what we can do to make our schools safe. By listening to our local communities, we have come up with proposals to address the unique needs of our local schools. Our multipronged approach enhances school security, addresses student mental health, and provides our districts with needed funding and flexibility to keep our kids safe.
The following solutions, authored by numerous House Republican members, are currently advancing through the public committee process:
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School resource officers, student support personnel, and other school security programs funded through increased Safe Schools revenue, including a floor level of funding for small schools authored by Reps. Barb Haley, R-Red Wing and Anna Wills, R-Rosemount.
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School building security upgrades, and expanded use of Long-Term Facility Maintenance revenue for security projects, including emergency communications systems authored by Rep. Jenifer Loon, R-Eden Prairie.
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School-linked mental health programming to ensure better outcomes for all kids authored by Rep. Jeff Backer, R-Browns Valley.
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Physical security audit grants to provide state assistance to review facility security and crisis management policies authored by Reps. Randy Jessup, R-Shoreview and Drew Christensen, R-Savage.
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Suicide prevention training for teachers to help educators learn how to engage and assist students experiencing mental distress authored by Rep. Dario Anselmo, R-Edina.
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School-based threat assessment teams established to assess, intervene, and report threats facing students, teachers, and staff authored by Rep. Keith Franke, R-St. Paul Park.
Short Video Update
Before leaving for break, I recorded a short video message about the key things I have and will continue to work on during the rest of this session. Enjoy!
On this day in History
On this day in 1973, the United States withdrew from Vietnam. Two months after the signing of the Vietnam peace agreement, the last U.S. combat troops left South Vietnam.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas with me. You can schedule a time to meet with me in my office anytime by calling me at 651-296-4192, or share your thoughts by emailing me at rep.regina.barr@house.mn.
Have a Happy Passover & Easter with your loved ones!
Regina