Hello Northlanders,
I hope this email finds you and your family well. Minnesota continues to make solid progress in overcoming COVID-19, with case numbers and other metrics dropping, but our vaccination rate has been relatively stagnant recently. If you haven’t gotten your shot yet, please make plans to do so, and urge your friends and family to do the same. The vaccine is now available for everyone age 12 or older. Click here to find a location and information about making an appointment, or an increasing number of walk-in locations.
Bipartisan Budget Agreement
On Monday, the last day of the regular legislative session, Governor Tim Walz, House Speaker Melissa Hortman, and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka announced a bipartisan agreement on an outline for a new two-year state budget. The budget framework gives us the capacity to invest in those who have borne the most brunt of COVID-19, including students, workers, and small businesses. The work isn’t over, and we still need to reach a bipartisan compromise on the details before we meet in special session in June. We will keep collaborating to reach a complete agreement, but coupled with Minnesota’s great progress in overcoming the pandemic, I’m confident this budget outline will strengthen the future for our state.
Broadband Funding
One element of the budget agreement I’m very excited about is a substantial $70 million investment in high-speed broadband. Over the past year, Minnesotans had an unprecedented reliance on internet access for school, businesses, commerce, and to communicate with friends and family. This funding is a direct result of the American Rescue Plan, a federal recovery package which the U.S. Congress passed and President Biden signed into law earlier this year. Over the past several years, we’ve made solid investments in the state’s Border-to-Border Broadband Grant program, leveraging private investments to get homes, businesses, and schools online. It’s the year 2021; all Minnesotans deserve fast, reliable internet access and this funding will help us reach our state speed and connectivity goals.
Summer Learning
The past year was incredibly difficult for Minnesota students who faced learning interruptions caused by COVID-19. To help bounce back from these challenges, students need the opportunity to catch up with their learning and strengthen their emotional wellbeing. On Tuesday, Governor Walz announced a $75 million investment in summer education programming. The funding is targeted to academic enrichment, mental health support, tutoring, preschool for four- and five-year-olds, and more. On top of the robust education investments we’ll be working to get across the finish line in our state budget, this investment will go a long way to strengthen the future for Minnesota students.
Chronic Wasting Disease
This time of year, outdoor enthusiasts are more focused on fishing rather than hunting, but our efforts to stop the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) aren’t limited to a season on the calendar. The University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach (MNPRO) announced the results of a survey they conducted on a dumping site in Beltrami County which had been used by a nearby former deer farm to discard white-tailed deer carcasses. Among the carcasses sampled, there was at least one positive case of CWD.
The findings folks at U of M and the DNR continue to uncover highlight just how big of a threat CWD is, and we need to take decisive action to prevent it from continuing to spread across the state. We especially need stronger safeguards at Cervidae farms to prevent the disease from transferring to the wild white-tailed deer population. The House Environment & Natural Resources budget contained a series of new measures I had introduced to combat CWD, but we’re still working on a final budget compromise with the Senate. Minnesotans deeply value our hunting heritage, but if we don’t take strong, proactive steps immediately to stop the spread of CWD, our ability to pass traditions to future generations might be in jeopardy.
Please continue to contact me with your feedback and ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance. It’s an honor to represent you.
Sincerely,
Rob Ecklund
State Representative