Legislative Update – September 14, 2023
Dear neighbors,
I wanted to highlight a couple of community events coming up soon. First, this weekend at the South. St. Paul Fleming Field Airport will be the Robert Brown III Car and Motorcycle Show. As always, I am looking forward to On The Road Again, our Booya Festival coming up on October 7, 2023. I hope you’ll be able to make it to these events and others throughout the fall.
District 52B Special Election
On September 1, my colleague Representative Ruth Richardson announced her resignation from the legislature, which you can find here.
I had the honor to serve alongside Rep. Richardson since her election in 2018 and saw firsthand her dedication to her community and our state. Whether it was passing Paid Family and Medical Leave, establishing the Office of Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls, or working to make our health care and education systems more accessible for all, our state is stronger for having Rep. Richardson serve these past five years.
In accordance with statute, Governor Walz has set Tuesday, December 5 as the date for a special election to fill the open seat in District 52B. The primary election will be held on Thursday, November 16th. You can find more information here.
Making our Parks More Accessible
This week I was proud to help the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as they work to spread the news about our Get Out MORE initiative. Get Out More, or the Modernize Outdoor Recreation Experiences program seeks to renew and evolve our outdoor infrastructure, with a specific emphasis on ensuring Minnesotans with disabilities have opportunities to enjoy our parks and trails.
As Chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, we provided funding for many safety and accessibility improvements, including all-terrain track chairs, which we previewed at the Fort Snelling Visitor Center earlier this week. There is still more work to be done, but I am glad to see this program getting off to a great start!
Capital Investment Tour Begins
I am a longstanding member of the House’s Capital Investment Committee, which every biennium oversees funding for local infrastructure projects around our state, helping cities, counties, and other governmental entities with projects they can’t afford to complete on their own.
In the next couple of months, a group of bipartisan members from the committee will be out on the road visiting projects that are seeking legislative funding. This is a great way for us to see the impact of past funding while learning about future preservation and enhancement projects. This week we visited Anoka, Blaine, St. Cloud, Moorhead, and other communities on our Northwest Tour, and we will visit other parts of the state throughout the fall.
Stay in Touch!
Please continue to share your questions, ideas, and feedback throughout the legislative session. You can reach me by email at rep.rick.hansen@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-6828. You can contact my Legislative Assistant Sam O'Neill at 651-296-3305 or via email at Samuel.ONeill@house.mn.gov.
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative