Dear Neighbors,
Friday marks the beginning of the Legislature’s week-long break for Easter and Passover. This is a time for members of the House and Senate to spend time with family celebrating the holiday as well as an opportunity to meet with folks in the district.
As for you and your family, I wish you a happy Easter and Passover season!
On Monday, the House approved the state employee contracts bill. This legislation ratifies state employee contracts for a number of public sector employees including both AFSCME and MAPE as well as some others.
I was happy to vote for the contracts and to see them ratified.
The tragedy in Parkland has brought a sense of urgency to the debate regarding how we can best keep our schools safe. Having spoken with school administrators and other community leaders, it is clear that student safety is a top priority for all.
That’s why I am encouraged by a legislative package released on Thursday focused on putting student safety first. Our multifaceted approach includes more resources to meet the security and mental health needs of students and schools statewide. In total, our proposal looks to spend approximately $50 million for mental health and school safety funding, nearly double the amount proposed by Governor Dayton.
It's difficult to see me (I'm behind Speaker Daudt) but I was honored to join my colleagues at a news conference announcing our school safety package.
Here is a brief recap of the initiatives that are currently advancing through the public committee process:
- 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.
- School building security upgrades, and expanded use of Long-Term Facility Maintenance revenue for security projects, including emergency communications systems.
- School-linked mental health programming to ensure better outcomes for all kids authored.
- Physical security audit grants to provide state assistance to review facility security and crisis management policies, authored by myself.
- Suicide prevention training for teachers to help educators learn how to engage and assist students experiencing mental distress.
- School-based threat assessment teams established to assess, intervene, and report threats facing students, teachers, and staff.
This truly is an important step in securing our schools and students.
Staying Connected
Stay tuned for more information about these topics and more as the session progresses.
Thank you for allowing me to represent you at the capitol. For any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me at either 651-296-0141 or rep.randy.jessup@house.mn.
Sincerely,
Randy