Hello Northlanders,
Last Wednesday was Veterans Day on the Hill, and it was a tremendous honor to address the crowd gathered in the rotunda. As Chair of the House Veterans and Military Affairs Division, I recognize the amount of work before us to ensure every veteran can have opportunities to succeed after they’ve served.
The Minnesota House High School Page Program provides high school juniors an opportunity to spend a week at the Capitol getting an up-close education about the legislative process. Last week, Jason, a student from Grand Marais was down participating in the program.
I’ve also had the opportunity to visit with constituents from Cook and Lake counties who work in the hospitality industry.
Community health workers from Cook, Lake, Carlton, and St. Louis counties visited too. They perform a great public service ensuring everyone has access to the care they need.
Andrea Pike from Ely also made the trip down to talk about environmental issues, including carbon-free energy, mining, and good food access.
PolyMet Permit Approval
Good news came last week from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as they approved PolyMet’s Section 404 permit to proceed with the NorthMet project. This been a long time coming to get to this step, and all along the way, everyone involved has been extremely diligent in ensuring this project will meet or exceed all environmental standards. I’m excited for what the future holds and the jobs that will be on the horizon.
House DFL Budget
This week, my colleagues announced the Minnesota Values Budget, setting our framework for the budget for the next two years. This outline is focused heavily on investments in education, health care, transportation, and other items to improve the way of life for all Minnesotans. These are the priorities that Minnesotans have told us they value, and will help all families succeed. In the next couple of weeks, we will see some more specific proposals in various areas of the budget. Stay tuned.
Protecting Minnesotans from Sexual Harassment
Last week I was proud to support HF 10, a bill strengthening protections against sexual harassment. For years, courts have upheld an unreasonable standard, requiring harassment to be “severe or pervasive,” and this has been very difficult for victims to meet under the eyes of the law. Therefore, it’s been nearly impossible for them to achieve justice. Our bill, one of the House DFL’s top 10 priorities of the session, will better enable those who have committed reprehensible actions in the workplace to be held accountable. All Minnesotans deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and this bill will help ensure that.
Flooding
Rapid snowmelt this spring has caused widespread flooding concerns in every corner of the state. This causes a wide variety of concerns regarding homes, roadways, and more. The Department of Commerce has some advice if your home experiences flooding here. Minnesotans with private wells need to take precautions too, and the Department of Health has some tips here.
The National Weather Service has some comprehensive information here about what we can expect the rest of the season.
Please continue to contact me with your feedback, input, and if I can ever be of assistance. It’s an honor to be your voice in Saint Paul.
Sincerely,
Rob Ecklund
State Representative
Rep. Rob Ecklund
409 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
www.house.mn/03A
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Chair, House Veterans and Military Affairs Policy and Finance Division
Phone: 651-296-2190
E-mail: rep.rob.ecklund@house.mn
Legislative Assistant: Josh Kilgard, 651-296-3918