 My godson Griffin stopped by to visit me amidst all the hubbub. He was a nice reminder to take a break in the Capitol Rotunda and remind myself how awesome this building is! While I can’t wait to be back in St. Cloud for the rest of the year, this remains a very exciting time to be in St. Paul, when the culmination of months of hard work can finally come to fruition. Here’s your weekly update on what I’ve been working on. Tax Increment Financing - or TIF!I know, I know, Tax policy isn’t always the most exciting thing, but believe me when I say you should be energized about the inclusion of St. Cloud’s Tax Increment Financing authorization in the House Tax proposal. Tax Increment Financing, or TIF as it’s often called, is an essential tool cities can use for development. If you’re a regular reader of these updates, you’ve probably heard about my work with the city on redeveloping downtown St. Cloud. This work takes on many forms, one of which is securing TIF authorization so that St. Cloud can use property tax incentives to redevelop old buildings, improve infrastructure, and attract business, recreation, and housing opportunities to our downtown! The redevelopment opportunity sites throughout St. Cloud include the former Herberger’s building, the Tech High School site, the courthouse building area, and the consolidation of smaller lots. I’m looking forward to getting this bill over the finish line so we can revitalize downtown St. Cloud now and for generations to come! KNSI recently covered my bill, which you can read here. Emergency Medical ServicesAnother bill the House passed this week was House File 4738, legislation I co-authored that would create a new Office of Emergency Medical Services as a state agency in Minnesota. Response times for medical emergencies can mean the difference between life and death. By creating an Office of Emergency Medical Services, we can establish emergency response units focused on improving response times and saving lives in every corner of our state. This work goes back to 2022, when the Office of the Legislative Auditor released an evaluation report regarding emergency ambulance services showing insufficient oversight, outdated service areas, persistent sustainability challenges, and ineffective Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board (EMSRB) leadership. If passed into law (we’re waiting on the Senate now), primary ambulance providers in certain rural areas would be allowed to partner with supporting providers to provide expanded life support intercept capability. Emergency medical services should be something ALL Minnesotans have access to. Supplemental Budget BillsThe bulk of our time this week was spent on the House Floor, debating and passing our proposals for new policies and supplemental budgets. Much of this work is building off our efforts from last year, ensuring our investments have the greatest impact possible for Minnesotans. We’ve now passed all our major supplemental budgets. You can read these nonpartisan summaries of our work on K-12 Education, Children & Families, Transportation, Labor, and Housing, Higher Education, Judiciary and Public Safety, State and Local Government and Veterans, Elections, Human Services, Workforce and Economic Development, Agriculture, Commerce, and Energy, Health, and Taxes. These are all great bills, but as a member of the Labor and Higher Education Committees, I’m especially proud of our efforts there. “From the Capitol” Radio InterviewThis week's episode focuses on my recent legislation passed by the Minnesota House - one that would create a new Office of Emergency Medical Services, and another to authorize Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for St. Cloud's redevelopment. We also talked about the final days of session and the road ahead. You can catch our conversation here. |