Dear Neighbors,
Yesterday was International Women’s Day, and the Capitol Rotunda was full of people pushing for measures to increase opportunities and level the playing field for women, including passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.
Earlier this week, WalletHub named Minnesota the best state in the nation for women, taking into account a variety of factors including unemployment rates, percentage of women-owned businesses, health and safety, and others. Additionally, Governor Dayton proclaimed MarchWomen’s History Month in Minnesota. While Minnesota is a great state for women, we still have a great deal of work to remove barriers to success.
Town Hall Meeting
I’d like to invite you to a Town Hall Meeting Sen. Steve Cwodzinski and I are hosting on Saturday, March 24 at 9:00 a.m. This will be a good opportunity to for us to give a brief status report on the session and to take your questions and comments about issues important to you.
The meeting is free and open to everyone. I hope you can make plans to attend.
WHAT: Town Hall Meeting
WHO: Rep. Laurie Pryor, Sen. Steve Cwodzinski
WHERE: Minnetonka High School (Forum Room), 18301 Highway 7, Minnetonka
WHEN: Saturday, March 24 from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Ending the Opioid Epidemic
Last week I talked about bipartisan legislation to create an “Opioid Stewardship Program” to curb opioid abuse and save lives in Minnesota. Funding for this program would come from a penny a pill fee assessed on pharmaceutical companies who manufacture opioid painkillers. To this point, these companies largely haven’t been held accountable for their role in creating this problem.
Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data showing opioid overdoses increased 30 percent from 2016 to 2017. This is a disturbing trend, and too many Minnesotans are losing loved ones and urgent, bold action needs to be taken.
Meetings with Minnesotans
Meeting with people from the community remains an extremely rewarding part of serving in the Legislature. People I had the opportunity to visit with this week include Emma, a high school junior shadowing me through Family, Career and Community Leaders of America.
We talked about what legislative issues she sees as important in her high school. Emma said that it was very positive to see more emphasis on mental health. We also talked a little about her future and what questions to think about when choosing a college and a program.
Earlier this week I met with constituents visiting the Capitol for Homeless Day on the Hill, advocating for bold investments in housing.
Wednesday I had the opportunity to meet with a group of constituents involved in the landscaping business. It was good to hear their concerns, including excess amounts of road salt contaminating our water.
Please continue to reach out with your input. It’s an honor to represent you.
Sincerely,
Laurie Pryor
State Representative