Neighbors and Friends,
Spring begins on Sunday and the warmer temperatures are welcome following our cold weather. I’m hopeful for better days ahead.
This week in the Housing Finance & Policy committee, which I chair, we reviewed the governor’s supplemental budget with Jennifer Ho, Commissioner of Minnesota Housing. The revised budget accounts for the recent economic forecast released last month by Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB).
The governor’s budget proposal would make over $700 million in housing investments over the next three years, including $250 million in Housing Infrastructure Bonds. It also increases investment into existing Minnesota Housing programs. The largest increases go towards the Family Homelessness Prevention and Assistance ($24.5 million) and the Economic Development and Housing Challenge ($25 million) programs. While there is a lot to be done to address Minnesota’s housing crisis, this budget goes a long way to get more people into stable housing and make the dream of homeownership a reality.
You can read more about these measures here, and you can watch the Housing committee on the House of Representatives’ YouTube Channel.
Hometown Heroes
The Minnesota House recently passed a bill to update the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program. Our firefighters face alarmingly high incidences of cancer, cardiac issues, and emotional trauma. The new program, which lawmakers enacted last year, provides firefighters access to education, prevention, and care to address cardiac conditions, emotional trauma, or cancer diagnoses. The Hometown Heroes Assistance Program is the most comprehensive of its kind in the nation and provides firefighters with free access to emotional trauma resources, up-to-$20,000 from critical illness insurance policies, and ongoing health and wellness training.
Prior to the program’s enactment, Minnesota was ranked 45th out of 50 states when it comes to investing in the fire service. I was proud to support this initiative for the heroes in our communities who make incredible sacrifices to keep us safe. You can learn more here.
COVID-19 Update
Getting the COVID-19 vaccination and booster can keep you and your family safe. If you’re not feeling well, get tested. You can still order up to 4 free COVID tests for your household. Go to https://www.covidtests.gov/ to get your test kits and many more resources.
__________
Staying Connected
You can watch legislative sessions and committee hearings by going to this link on the Minnesota House of Representatives website.
The Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services also offers nonpartisan recaps of high-profile bills, committee hearings, and floor sessions with their Session Daily publication. Subscribe to receive these here. To track bills of interest through the legislative process, you can utilize the MyBills feature on the Minnesota House of Representatives’ website.
I welcome your questions and comments anytime. You can call me at (651) 296-3824 or email me at rep.alice.hausman@house.mn.
Thank you for the privilege of representing you in the legislature.
Sincerely,
Alice