Friends,
We have finally turned the corner and it appears spring weather is here to stay. I hope everyone has been able to enjoy some time outside in the warmer weather we’ve been having lately.
Before the weekend gets underway, here is a legislative update with some news from the Capitol.
Education Bill Passes House
Last night, the House passed broadly supported, bipartisan legislation that puts our kids first and prioritizes student safety. The comprehensive bill provides funding for school security improvements, addresses student mental health, increases transparency in school finance and performance reporting, and advances innovative solutions for education and higher education in our state.
The school safety portion of the bill gives our districts the resources and flexibility they need to address student safety and security. It includes a number of measures such as expanding the use of long-term facilities maintenance revenue for building security upgrades, strengthening the state’s commitment to school-linked mental health grants, and increasing funding for Safe Schools Revenue.
The bill also contains a number of other important provisions. It strengthens law to address teacher misconduct, creates a Special Education Working Group to examine factors causing rising costs, and supports cybersecurity programs at our higher education institutions.
To bring more transparency to education, this bill requires the Minnesota Department of Education to create a School Report Card. This resource consists of summative and easily accessible school and district ratings that will provide families with a place to research, compare and help determine which school will work best for their children. To make certain education dollars are being properly allocated within districts and reaching the intended students, the bill also doubles the number of school audits each year.
The legislature made significant investments in education last session, and this year’s bill builds on that success by enacting additional reforms to improve academic outcomes as well as school safety measures to protect our kids.
Service Animal Misrepresentation Bill
On Wednesday, the House overwhelmingly gave final approval to a bill to criminalize the act of misrepresenting pets as service animals. This has been a growing problem, causing dangerous situations in public and also damaging the reputation of real service animals. By introducing pets to environments they are not accustomed to, these actions have endangered innocent people and service animals. The legislation would make impersonating a service animal a petty misdemeanor for the first offense and a misdemeanor for any subsequent offense. It is now awaiting the Governor’s signature.
Prescription Drug Disposal
Tomorrow - Saturday, April 28 – is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). I encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to remove unused, dangerous medication from your home and have it disposed of in a safe and responsible way. For additional information or to find a drop-off location near you, please click here.
Free Paper Shredding Event
Dakota Valley Recycling is hosting its “Shred Event” tomorrow (Saturday, April 28th) from 9:00am-1:00pm at the Eagan Community Center. This is a great opportunity get rid of and shred any sensitive documents with confidential information that you might have. The event is free and is open to residents of Lakeville, Burnsville, Apple Valley, and Eagan. Click here for additional information about the event.
Capitol Visitors
Mr. Hale's 8th grade class from St. Joseph's Catholic School toured the Capitol
Micah Pieper during Kwik Trip’s Day at the Capitol
Luke Abrahamson of Allina Health stopped by to discuss racial equity, health care, and housing inequality.
Contact Me
In the final weeks of the legislative session, please feel free to contact me with any questions, thoughts, or concerns that you might have on any of the issues or bills that will be coming before me for a vote on the House floor. I appreciate the input I receive from constituents and would love to hear from you. I can be reached via email at 651-296-5387 or rep.roz.peterson@house.mn.
Have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
