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Neighbors and Friends,
Last Sunday night, the 2020 legislature adjourned one of the most unique sessions in history. The emergence of COVID-19 greatly derailed our original legislative agenda. As the seriousness of the situation grew, we quickly responded to put measures in place to keep Minnesotans safe during the pandemic.
To comply with the Stay at Home directive, the legislature operated remotely. Legislators were given the option of voting from our homes, in our offices, elsewhere in St. Paul and a small number did attend session in the chamber. If you had asked me before COVID-19 changed everything, whether we could hold a legislative session remotely, I would have had serious doubts. It was not an ideal situation, but, with the help of technology, we were able to make it work by cooperating with each other.
In spite of this major disruption, we passed our comprehensive economic security agenda as well as other COVID-related packages to assist Minnesotans. We also passed several significant bills not related to COVID-19, including insulin affordability, and prescription drug price transparency. The bonding bill was blocked on the last day and did not pass, but I am hopeful that the measure will be reconsidered in the coming weeks.
You can read more about 2020 legislative session accomplishments here.
To address continuing COVID-19 issues, Speaker Hortman established the Select Committee on Minnesota’s Pandemic Response and Rebuilding. Workplace safety for nurses was the topic of the first meeting on Tuesday. You can watch the hearing here.
Memorial Day
On Monday, we will honor those who gave their lives for our country. The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs is sponsoring a virtual Memorial Day program in partnership with Twin Cities PBS-TPT.
In addition, TPT has created a 30-minute Memorial Day program entitled “Always Remember: A Minnesota Tribute to Veterans we’ve lost,” that will be broadcast across the state on TPT’s Minnesota Channel at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 25. The program can also be live streamed online from the TPT website and on Facebook and will be rebroadcast on TPT several times throughout June and July. It will also be available online after it premieres.
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I welcome your questions and comments anytime. You can call me at (651) 296-3824 or send an email at rep.alice.hausman@house.mn.
Thank you for the privilege of representing you in the legislature.
Sincerely,
Alice
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