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Dear Neighbors,
With the weather getting colder, there is plenty to look forward to, including winter activities that make up much of our fabric as Minnesotans. Unfortunately for many in our community, winter can pose difficulties when energy bills start piling up. No family should be left out in the cold, and programs are available to make sure this doesn’t happen. For more information, please visit the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s website here.
Investing in Safe Schools
Minnesotans deserve safe and secure schools, and protecting our students is of the highest priority in our work at the Legislature. As part of Minnesota’s new education budget passed earlier this year, over $30 million in funds were made available for Minnesota’s schools at the beginning of the month as part of the 2020 Safe Schools Supplemental Aid. That includes $427,451 for the Robbinsdale Public School District.
The 2020 State Schools Supplemental Aid is a one-time appropriation included with school districts’ Integrated Department of Education Aid System (IDEAS) payment. This investment will better ensure that our community is able to address the unique safety needs of our schools – such as mental health counseling, facility security enhancements, peace officer liaisons, gang resistance education training, and other safety provisions.
2020 High School Page Program
Modeled after the United States Congress Page Program, the Minnesota House of Representatives High School Page Program was established in 1975. Today, the program remains dedicated to providing students with meaningful opportunities, and has evolved into one of the top page programs in the nation.
The Minnesota House is now accepting applications for the 2020 Legislative Session, and I highly encourage all interested high school juniors to apply. You can find more information on the program and how to apply on the Minnesota House webpage. The deadline to apply is November 21st.
A Rise in Youth Tobacco Use
For the first time in over 17 years, the number of young Minnesotans using tobacco products has increased. The rise in popularity of vaping has given way to an increased amount of vaping-related illnesses, and the desire to address this issue next session had gained bipartisan support at the Legislature. You can read more about the issue and the various proposals to address it here.
A Plan for Robo-Calls
Robo-calls are not only disruptive and annoying, they’ve also led to cases of fraud in Minnesota. In fact, Minnesotans on average have received 58 robo-calls so far this year. My colleagues introduced a plan to crack down on these calls to protect Minnesotans from the predatory scams, and I look forward to supporting the bill during the 2020 legislative session. You can read more about the plan here.
Minnesota Values Project
The Minnesota Values Project is an ongoing partnership between Minnesotans and the legislature. We’re working together to create a shared vision for the future of our state, and your input is an important part of this process! You can let us know what’s important to you, your community, and Minnesota by taking a quick survey here.
Stay in Touch
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. During the interim I’ll be back home working with neighbors to find solutions to the issues facing our community and state, and I would appreciate your input! As always, you can reach me at (651) 296-4255 or rep.lyndon.carlson@house.mn. I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Lyndon Carlson
State Representative
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