Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: July 14, 2021

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Neighbors,

Thank you for joining Sen. Cwodzinski, Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn and me for the District 48 virtual Town Hall on July 6. We answered your questions about the recently completed legislative session and the newly passed budget. As always, we always appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns and questions.

If you were unable to tune in to the town hall, you can watch here.

COVID-19 Vaccination Update

The Minnesota Department of Health reports more than 3 million of our friends and neighbors have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Although the pace of vaccination has slowed, it is still vitally important to get your vaccine to guard against the highly contagious Delta variant showing up in communities across the country and in Minnesota. We owe it to ourselves and our communities to protect each other from the virus.

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Sen. Steve Cwodzinski Update: July 2, 2021

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June 30, 2021

Upcoming SD 48 Town Hall

7-6-21 SD48 Town Hall

Mark your calendars! This coming Tuesday, July 6, my house colleagues and I will be hosting a virtual town hall meeting from 9:30 – 10:30am.

You can RSVP in advance at the event page by clicking HERE, and you can ask us questions in advance by clicking HERE.

You will be able to watch live or view a recording from any of our Facebook pages. Mine can be accessed by clicking HERE.

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Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: July 1, 2021

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Neighbors,

The 2021legislative session adjourned early Thursday morning with the successful passage of our two-year budget. We worked hard to negotiate a fair budget to help Minnesotans recover from the past year and thrive in the future. Our compromise budget invests in all Minnesotans but aims to help those most hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic – students, businesses, workers, and families. Earlier today, Gov. Walz signed the remaining budget bills into law. You can read my statement here.

Our budget made historic increases in funding for public schools and preservation of all day pre-K for 4,000 preschoolers. As vice-chair of the Early Childhood Committee and a negotiator of the final Education budget, I am proud of the collaborative, compromise final product. The positive impact the budget will have on our students cannot be overstated. Historic investments in our students now and going forward will give our students a bright future, no matter where they live or what they look like. You can read my news release here.

Here are some other highlights of the budget:

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Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: June 25, 2021

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Neighbors,

Progress is being made as the legislature assembles the two-year budget. We have already passed several budget bills and expect to be at work all day Saturday and Sunday approving more compromise bills to finalize our budget before the end of June.

Bipartisan Environment Budget Passed

Earlier today, the Environment budget was approved 99-34 and is heading to the Governor for his signature. Minnesotans can be assured that state parks, the zoo, and museums will remain open. The bill also contains Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) recommendations for allocation of lottery money to fund research and habitat preservation. Stronger protection against harmful PFAS chemicals is also part of the budget.

The Jobs and Labor budget was also approved today and provides $8 million in childcare grants to increase the number of providers throughout Minnesota.

Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: June 25, 2021”

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: June 18, 2021

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June 18, 2021

Finishing Up the Budget

Rep. Pryor, Sen. Cwodzinski, Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn

The legislature convened for a special session on Monday, as we continue to work out the details of Minnesota’s budget. It was great to see so many of my colleagues’ faces after over a year of masked gatherings and zoom meetings. Rep. Laurie Pryor, Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn, and I posed for a photo in front of the capitol to commemorate the occasion. Now it’s time to wrap this session up with a budget that works for all Minnesotans.


A Reopened and Reinvigorated State Capitol

Sen. Cwodzinski with VFW advocates

The state capitol is officially reopened to the public! We’ve already seen several groups make use of this amazing space to exercise their civic duty. On Monday, VFW advocates were here to make their voices heard, along with a couple of large demonstrations as well.

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Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: June 18, 2021

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Neighbors,

A special session to pass a new two-year budget began on Monday. Minnesota’s Democratic House and Republican Senate have been working to reach agreement on bills and are committed to passing a bipartisan budget that funds the priorities Minnesotans care about. Debate on the bills that have been agreed upon began yesterday. The House GOP Minority is using stalling tactics to slow down getting our two-year budget passed, but we remain committed to working with Senate Republicans, Governor Walz, and Minnesotans to complete our state budget. Some highlights of the bills we are considering this week:

Commerce, Climate and Energy Budget  

Action on climate change makes environmental and economic sense. Our Climate and Energy bill includes provisions to help Minnesotans save on their energy bills. We also secured funding to install solar energy panels on schools, saving districts money and providing educational opportunities for students. 

The final Commerce budget tackles the record-high catalytic converter theft problem with a series of reforms, giving law enforcement, scrap metal dealers, and consumers ways to deter thefts by making it harder to sell stolen parts. Minnesotans want action, not just bigger penalties. 

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Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B) Update: May 28, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

While the regular legislative session adjourned last week, my colleagues and I are still advocating for budgetary allocations for the issues most important to you – like healthcare, childcare, and public education. Although we were able to reach a bipartisan agreement on our budget framework before adjourning, the finer details of our budget continue to be negotiated. Right now, we’re looking at a June special session to pass our final budget.

Thanks in large part to the American Rescue Plan passed by the Democrats in Congress and signed into law by President Biden, Minnesota will have the resources to help those hit hardest by the pandemic. House DFLers are fighting for students, families, workers, and small businesses. We will be spending these next few weeks working with the Senate to ensure that as our state recovers, we don’t leave any Minnesotans behind.

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Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: May 25, 2021

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Neighbors,

Last week, the regular legislative session adjourned. A budget framework was announced and is in place, and negotiators are working on the final two-year agreement. I will continue to advance priorities for Minnetonka and Eden Prairie and I appreciate your emails and calls.

One year ago today, we learned of the death of George Floyd. Our communities – and the world – reeled from his senseless death. This year at the Capitol, House DFLers moved a sweeping agenda for police reform and accountability, building on bipartisan legislation approved last year.

No matter where we live and how we look, everyone wants to make it home unharmed at the end of the day. Our efforts will continue to ensure every Minnesotan can feel safe in their communities and be treated with respect and fairness.

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Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: May 21, 2021

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May 21, 2021

MN Senate Floor

Legislative Session Ends with Compromise on Budget

The 2021 legislative session ended on Monday with an agreement reached on spending for the next biennium. Policy details still need to be finalized for a special session, but there were some major wins for the people of Minnesota in the agreement:

  • Full conformity with the federal PPP loan tax exemption
  • Full conformity with the federal unemployment benefits tax exemption
  • Funding for our school budgets to keep pace with inflation

This agreement on spending is another sign that we can all work together for the good of Minnesotans.

Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: May 21, 2021”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: May 20, 2021


Neighbors,

The regular legislature session adjourned on Monday, following an announcement by Governor Tim Walz, House Speaker Melissa Hortman, and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka on an outline for a new two-year state budget. The agreement sets up the framework and a roadmap for final negotiations to finish the legislative session.

The pandemic has been difficult for everyone, but Minnesotans have been hit unequally. Our bipartisan budget prioritizes those most impacted by COVID-19, enacting a state budget focusing on our students, families, workers, and small businesses. Working groups will begin meeting to finalize agreements on all the individual budget bills and I will continue to advocate for our youngest learners.

We've Reached Bipartisan Budget Framework
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