Neighbors,
Happy Saturday! We finished up reviewing the last of our budget bills this week - now we're on to negotiations with the Republican-led Senate to reconcile (some pretty big) differences between our plan to invest in Minnesota and theirs.
Elections
We passed an elections budget which will help make sure that every voice is heard in our elections. The bill includes measures to make it easier to vote, appropriates the full $6.6 million in Federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funding to secure Minnesota’s elections, includes automatic voter registration, free public transportation on election day, and measures to ensure a full and complete Census.
It also includes Rep. Vang's measure to uphold the Voting Rights Act by repealing a rule that disenfranchises people with disabilities and language barriers. Only Minnesota, Arkansas, and Georgia limit the number of people a person can assist with their ballot. Under Rep. Vang's new provision, all eligible voters will be able to cast their ballots.
Environment
Our environment budget funds innovative research that would aid conservation efforts and protect the environment and wildlife for future generations. We address emerald ash borer, chronic wasting disease, and aquatic invasive species to protect the health and well being of our communities and the environment. It includes a provision I proudly co-authored to make permanent the restoration of Lake Bde Maka Ska's name.
Housing
All Minnesotans deserve access to safe and affordable housing. A place to call home is essential for students to focus and succeed in school, for parents to maintain reliable employment, and working families to be economically secure. House DFLers are committed to providing affordable, safe housing.
Public Safety
We also passed a public safety budget to allow for gun safety, cash bail reform, cannabis reform, and pathways beyond incarceration. This is the first step toward a public safety approach centered in not just accountability and punishment, but prevention and pathways to redemption.
Other states are enacting gun violence prevention legislation. Minnesotans are asking us to do the same. The criminal background checks and extreme risk protection orders in our public safety bill are common-sense laws that will save lives.
Minnesota has the fifth-highest probation rate in the nation along with significant racial and regional disparities. The public safety budget addresses this through a five-year cap on terms (except for the most serious offenses), requests the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission to establish probation guidelines, and has grants for alternatives to incarceration to divert nonviolent drug offenders to treatment.
It also includes “Logan’s Law” which is championed the Eastside's own Logan Graf. Currently, state law makes it hard for female couples to become legal parents. If passed, when a woman conceives through assisted reproduction, her spouse would be treated in law as the biological parent and exempt from the financial and emotional hardships.
AAPI Month
Minnesota’s first and only Asian Pacific Caucus join AAPI people across the country this month in celebrating the achievements and opportunities we have been afforded because of the courage and sacrifices of our ancestors. We honor the men and women who laid the tracks to build this country, who sacrificed their lives for the values of this country, and who broke down immeasurable barriers, so that we could thrive today. We renew our resolve to address inequalities and challenges facing AAPI people, so that all Minnesotans can be afforded equal opportunities into the future.
We celebrate the fact that, on the eve of AAPI month, the Minnesota House passed a measure to finally establish a day to honor the sacrifices America’s Secret War veterans and their families made, fighting alongside American soldiers for the values this great nation stands for. So proud to be working with powerful colleagues to create a state holiday recognizing Hmong veterans who served in the U.S. Vietnam War.
We invite you to share your favorite AAPI role model or moment to commemorate Asian American heritage month.
Thanks for reading, and thank you for the honor of serving you! Please reach out with questions, comments or suggestions any time.
Sincerely,
Jay Xiong
State Representative - District 67B
Nyob zoo sawv,
Tam sim no peb tab tom pib sib tham thiab xaiv tsa rau hauv cov cai faib nyiaj. Kuv zoo siab qhia rau nej tias muaj ntau ntau cov cai uas peb tau txhawb hauv lub Minnesota Asian Pacific (MAP) Caucus. Cov cai no muab kev pab kev cai noj qab haus huv, kev txhais tau lus, thiab kev kawm keeb kwm.
Kev Kawm Qib Siab
Peb tau sau tsab cai faib nyiaj uas tso cov tub ntxhais kawm ua ntej. Tsab cai sau kom tsev kawm ntawv qib siab pheej yig dua, txo nqi qub, thiab kho kom muaj kev nyab xeeb hauv tsev kawm ntawv. Raws li Asmeskas Lub Tsev Saib Xyuas Kev Kawm Ntawv, muaj 775,000 tus tub ntxhais nyob Minnesota uas muaj nqi qub kawm ntawv txog li $ 27.1 billion.
• Tsab cai no yuav nres thiab tsis pub nce cov nyiaj them txhua xyoo rau cov tsev kawm ntawv qib siab ob thiab plaub xyoos uas yog public. Muaj coob tus menyuam kawm ntawv qib siab yuav muaj pab thiab tau txais ntau tshaj $400 ib xyoo ntxiv rau kev pab nyiaj txiag, thiab 1,900 tus neeg ntxiv yuav tau txais kev pab.
• Peb tau xub saib xyuas cov kev nrhiav ncaj ncees thiab kev txhawb txog tub ntxhais kawm qib siab uas raug kev quab yuam los sis tsimtxom. Yuav tsum pab kom cov menyuam kawm ntawv qib siab muaj kev nyab xeeb thiab noj qab nyob zoo.
• Cov nyiaj pab kom tsev kawm ntawv tsis muaj kev tshaib plab.
Nyiaj Kho Kev, Dej, thiab Khoom Siv
Cov nyiaj no qhia txog cov hawjlwm uas tseem ceeb rau neeg ib yam li koj uas nyob hauv Minnesota. Cov nyiaj no yuav faib rau ntau yam teeb meem xws li pab kom cov menyuam muaj peev xwm mus tau rau tsev kawm ntawv kom nyab xeeb; kho cov txoj kev uas tsis tau tiav; hwm peb cov Minnesota tub rog qub; ua kom txhua leej txhua tus tau dej huv; khaws peb cov khoom siv kom zoo; tswj peb cov tsev kawm ntawv qib siab; khaws cia tsoomfwv cov khoom muaj nqi; thiab xa nyiaj txiag rau hauv zos kom muaj kev txhawb nqa kom lawv muaj kev vam meej.
Kev Noj Qab Haus Huv thiab Kev Pab Tib Neeg
Peb sau tsab cai kom txo tus nqi ntawm kev kho mob, cov nqi tshuaj, ntxiv cov kev pab them nqi kho mob, thiab muab cov neeg mob thiab lawv cov kws kho mob txoj kev tu mob ntau dua qhov qub.
• Minnesota cov kev noj qab haus huv tsis sib npaug, vim li ntawd Rep. Samantha Vang sau kom txoj cai muaj cov neeg lwm haiv neeg pab tau neeg uas tsis yog Asmeskas thiab sau kom nce nyiaj rau Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) thawj zaug rau 33 xyoo.
• Tsab cai no khaws cov nyiaj txiag rau Kev Pab Kho Mob Nkeeg, uas pab cov neeg hauv Minnesota uas muaj nyiaj tsawg nrhiav kev kho mob thiab muab kev pab kho mob.
• Ntxiv mus tsab cai no kho kom zoo dua rau cov neeg laus, ua phem rau lwm tus, tsis saib xyuas thiab lwm yam kev phem hauv Minnesota cov tsev laus.
Kev Suav Txhua Tus
Lub koom haum Legacy tau sau tsab cai faib nyiaj los txhawb kev kos duab, kev kawm ntawv qhia txuj ci kos duab thiab lwm yam, thiab kev kos duab los ntawm Minnesota cov keeb kwm thiab muab khaws cia.
Tsab cai no pab txhawb Hmoob keeb kwm kev cai thiab kev pab nyiaj txiag, thiab nrog rau nyiaj txiag rau lub Hmong Museum nyob hauv St. Paul. Cov nyiaj yuav mus rau ntawm cov program qhia Hmoob keeb kwm, tau muab los qhia hauv cov chav kawm, khoom puav pheej, thiab kev qhia txog keeb kwm Hmoob. Peb cov Minnesota Asian Pacific Caucus tau nrhiav kev tshawb haiv neeg uas tsev kawm ntawv tsis qhia txog lawm cov keeb kwm. Peb lub Hmoob Museum los sis lub tsev khaws puav pheej hauv St. Paul yog thawj lub ntawm peb Hmoob nyob hauv tebchaws Asmeskas no. Lub hom phiaj yog kom pom thiab sau cov duab, keeb kwm, keeb kwm ntawm tus kheej thiab tsev neeg, thiab teeb meem tam sim no uas cov neeg Hmoob nyob hauv Minnesota muaj.
Ntxiv mus txoj cai no muaj nyaij rau cov neeg tuaj ntawm Somalia tuaj thiab muaj nyiaj pab khaws cia cov lus Dakota & Ojibwe thiab ntxiv rau cov kev kawm txog cov neeg Native American. Txoj cai legacy yuav siv cov kauj ruam tseem ceeb rau kev txhawb nqa thiab muab keeb kwm khaws cia rau tag nrho Minnesota cov neeg.
Kev kawm ntawv yog ib yam nyuaj rau cov tub ntxhais uas tseem kawm lus Askiv. Nrog cov neeg zej zog uas tuaj tshiab rau hauv Minnesota, nws tseem ceeb heev rau peb kom txhua tus neeg hauv Minnesota tau txais cov kev pab uas lawv xav tau rau txoj kev kawm uas npaj lawv rau txais haujlwm los sis kawm ntawv qib siab. Rep. Kaohly Her tau sau kom cov nyiaj nce ntxiv pab rau cov tub ntxhais kawm lus Askiv (ELL).
Ua tsaug rau koj txoj kev xav paub txog hawjlwm hauv Minnesota lub Tsev Dawb! Yog tias koj muaj lus nug, hu kuv ntawm 651-269-4201 los yog email rau rep.Jay.Xiong@house.mn.
Ua Tsaug,
Rep. Jay Xiong
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