Dear Neighbors,
It’s official, last month was the snowiest February on record for Minnesota. I hope you can take a break from shoveling the driveway to read an update on what’s been going on at the State Capitol.
Farm to School
A bill I’ve authored with the help of the Land Stewardship Project has been making its way through the House this month. The Farm to School bill is a bipartisan piece of legislation that would provide students with healthy, locally-grown foods while also benefiting farmers in the community. The program improves the nutrition of our students as they’re starting to develop lifelong eating habits. While our students are eating healthier, local farmers are also given access to a new, stable market. This bill recently passed out of the House Agriculture and Food Committee, and you can take a look at the image below for the future path of this legislation. This bill is a win for local schools, a win for local farmers, and a win for local communities.
You can read more about Farm to School here.
Forever Green
We held our press conference for the Forever Green Initiative this week. The Forever Green Initiative is through the University of Minnesota, and it develops new perennial and winter annual crops to enhance Minnesota’s soil and water resources. If that’s not cool enough, I was able to eat a Kernza muffin today, which is something you might not be familiar with as Kernza is a relatively new grain developed by the Initiative!
The bill I’m co-authoring would fully fund the Forever Green Initiative and ensure that we remain on the cutting-edge when it comes to developing crops that help farmers profitably clean Minnesota’s water.
You can read more about the Forever Green Initiative here.
Governor’s Budget & Bonding
Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan have released their budget and bonding proposals for the next two years. This “Budget for One Minnesota” prioritizes education, health care, and community prosperity.
There are many great things in the Governor’s proposals that I believe reflect the values and priorities of Minnesotans. In the coming days and weeks, stay tuned for more in-depth discussion about the budget’s specific components, such as new investments in a world-class education, safe roads and bridges, and Paid Family and Medical Leave.
You can read more about the state budget plan here.
Comprehensive Sex Ed.
This session, it’s an honor to carry legislation calling on the Department of Education to adopt a model comprehensive sex education curriculum for public schools. The bill, HF 1414, is about the health and safety of our youth. We want young Minnesotans to have medically accurate instruction on human anatomy, reproduction, and sexual development. We also want our schools to help our youth develop a deep understanding of consent. Addressing sexual violence in our state starts with equipping young people with the tools they need to treat one another with mutual respect.
Districts and parents will still be in the drivers seat. This model program will be one option for districts to select. Parents will also have the option of removing their children from this program if it isn't a good fit for them, just as they have that option under state statute with current sex ed curriculum. My denomination, the United Church of Christ, has developed a comprehensive sex ed curriculum that is highly respected. Many United Church of Christ churches, including the church I serve, offer this programming for the health and safety of youth. Concerns about sexual violence came up regularly among students at St. Olaf and Carleton, as did LGBTQ equality. One way to begin addressing these concerns is through inclusive, comprehensive sexual education programming.
The bill passed its first hearing today in the House Education Policy Committee.
Town Halls
Thank you to everyone that came out for my first Town Halls this last week in Northfield and Lonsdale. We had great conversations about funding our schools, ONEcare, paid family leave, climate, caring for our elderly, and so much more. If you weren’t able to attend, there will be more in the future, but in the meantime you can always reach me at rep.todd.lippert@house.mn or (651) 296-0171. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Todd Lippert |
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