Dear Neighbors,
I hope the new year is treating you well. I’ve spent the first weeks of 2020 connecting with residents and preparing for the legislative session, which begins on February 11. Senator Jerry Newton and I are holding a town hall meeting on Tuesday, February 4 to gather input and ideas before our work in St. Paul gets underway. I hope to see you there!
Continue reading “Rep. Erin Koegel Update (HD37A) Update: January 30, 2020”
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – As the final piece of his bonding bill proposal, Governor Walz today released an approximately $2 billion Local Jobs and Projects Plan. Included in his proposal were several bonding requests carried by Senator Jerry Newton (DFL-Coon Rapids).
“The Governor’s proposal makes smart investments in public infrastructure and public assets in our community that will create jobs, improve our higher education facilities, and strengthen our community,” said Senator Newton. “I want to thank Governor Walz for prioritizing these projects, and I look forward to working to make sure this funding is secured in the 2020 Legislative Session.”
The Governor’s proposal includes $3 million to fund the demolition and replacement of the campus maintenance facility and an additional $837,000 for asset preservation at the National Sports Center, $4 million in funding for the Mighty Ducks Grant Program to local communities to upgrade ice arenas, primarily through replacing refrigerant and improving air quality, $16.282 million for construction of nursing and business classrooms and labs on the Coon Rapids campus at the Anoka Ramsey Community College, $700,000 for expansion of the City of Coon Rapids Recycling Center, and $29.545 million to acquire land, design, develop, construct, and equip a new State Emergency Operations Center and Homeland Security and Emergency Management office.
Friends & Neighbors,
The end of the year is used as a time of reflection and preparation for a new beginning. We set our goals and make plans for reaching them for the coming year. My main goal has always been to make Minnesota a better place to live now and for future generations. This year Minnesota was recognized as the third best state in the country by U.S. News & World Report. These rankings evaluate all 50 states across a range of criteria, including education, health care, crime, infrastructure, and the economy. Minnesota was able to achieve this impressive ranking because of its dedication to making strong investments in schools, families, and infrastructure.
We are the only state in the country with a divided government – the House has a DFL majority and the Senate has a Republican majority. Making these critical investments wasn’t easy. The 2019 Session included difficult budget negotiations, a lack of transparency in conference committees, and a tenuous global agreement made just one day before adjournment. Continue reading “Sen. Jerry Newton (SD37) Update: December 30, 2019”
Concerns, wishes, ideas expressed at 90-minute meetingJulie Engle and Dean Luke don’t have much in common.
Engle is a 37-year-old mother of three young boys and lives in Minnetonka.
Luke is 80 and is a snowbird who lives in Eden Prairie during the warm months before heading south when the snow flies.
Both found themselves at the Eden Prairie Community Center with a microphone in hand at a Nov. 18 information meeting focused on cannabis legalization.
View the complete November 26 article by Raymond T. Revard on The Sun-Sailor website here.
Friends and Neighbors,
I hope that this newsletter finds you and your loved ones well as we begin the holiday season. This year, I am thankful for my family and the opportunity to spend time with them during this holiday season. I also wish to thank and extend a deep sense of gratitude to our family members, friends, and other loved ones who are serving in the military whether domestically or overseas. As a veteran myself, I know how difficult it is to be away from loved ones during the holidays, and how homesick one can get. Take some time to keep those servicemen and women in your thoughts and prayers.
While the 2020 Legislative Session will not begin until February 11, I encourage people to reach out to my office with what they’d like to see the legislature tackle in 2020. It will be a bonding year, and I will work to get our local projects included in any final bill. We also have unfinished policy work to do – like addressing prescription drug costs and providing emergency access to insulin. These are just some of the issues I hope we can find common ground on in 2020. Continue reading “Sen. Jerry Newton (SD37) Update: November 26, 2019”
Dear Neighbors,
I hope you’re staying warm as winter approaches! Unfortunately, for many Minnesotans colder weather means struggling to afford heating bills. Families facing these challenges shouldn’t be stuck in the cold. Minnesota’s Cold Weather Rule, which went into effect last month, helps protect people from having their heat shut off when they need it most. Please make sure that your family, friends, and neighbors know about this program and remember to watch out for one another this winter.
Here’s a brief update on the work that I’ve been doing in our community and at the Legislature.
Many residents, myself included, have seen or heard of the many crashes along University Avenue. For many months, I’ve worked with elected officials and state agencies to make this corridor safer and prevent more fatalities. I’m excited to report that the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is now installing new lights and signals at several intersections! There’s more work to be done, but these safety improvements are a step in the right direction. Continue reading “Rep. Erin Koegel (HD37A) Update: November 18, 2019”
In the upcoming legislative session, the fate of the proposed high-speed rail line from Minneapolis to Duluth is once again to be debated. In 2009 Representative Mary Murphy of Hermantown and I submitted bills to provide for $13 million in bonding to perform a feasibility study to determine whether such a rail line was a viable transportation alternative. Our bill moved through the committee process but did not pass. Every session since then has seen Senate and House bills attempting to secure bonding approval for the Northern Lights Express, the proposed name for the rail line, fall short. In the mean-time legislators, rail enthusiasts and federal transportation officials have kept pressure on to keep the project front and center of all rail discussions.
This year, my Senate File 816 and Representative Murphy’s companion House File 387 have perhaps the best chance of passing since we first tried 10 years ago. Speaker Melissa Hortman is a co-author of the House bill, adding major significance to the legislation. Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk has given his verbal support to my SF 816. Perhaps of even greater importance, Representative Murphy is the current Chair of the Capital Investment Committee. This is the committee that will determine which bonding bills pass and be moved on to the Governor for signature. There are no guarantees but being able to move her own bill is the best hope we have had in years to see the Northern Lights Express come to fruition. Continue reading “Riding the Northern Lights Express”
Back when Blaine attorney Amanda Matchett was growing up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, she remembers telling classmates she was going to be the first female president.
But it was only a few years ago she realized she and her neighbors deserved better representation. She was deeply affected by the killing of Philando Castile and the last presidential election. Then along came the “last straw” – Nolan West.
The Blaine Republican was elected to the Minnesota House that year, and managed to keep his seat by a hair in 2018. That’s despite his litany of record scratch-worthy Facebook posts, screenshotted and saved for posterity before he could hastily delete them during his first run for office.
View the complete October 18 article by Hannah Jones on the CityPages website here.
Dear Neighbors,
I hope you had a great Labor Day weekend! Labor Day reminds me of the workers who fought for many of the rights and freedoms that we have today, including collective bargaining rights, workplace safety laws, Social Security, and dignified working conditions. Thanks to the advocacy and persistence of workers, the Legislature made further progress this year. We passed the strongest wage theft and enforcement law in the country, expanded tax credits for working families, and secured training opportunities for Minnesotans who want to develop new skills or start their own business.
But there’s more work to be done. I’ll continue to stand with hard-working Minnesotans to defend the right to a safe workplace and the opportunity to make a living for themselves and their families.
House Committee Visits Blaine
On Wednesday, the House Capital Investment Committee visited Blaine to learn more about local infrastructure projects. I joined my colleagues on their tour of the National Sports Center to advocate for much-needed repairs and upgrades. The National Sports Center serves thousands of local families and welcomes nearly four million visitors each year, so the many fields, rinks, and facilities need frequent maintenance. Continue reading “Rep. Erin Koegel (HD37A) Update: September 6, 2019”
Dear Neighbors,
After many months of hard work, my colleagues and I have finished passing a new two-year state budget! Our bipartisan budget makes strong investments in education, protects health care access, delivers targeted tax cuts, and supports working families. Here are some of the highlights:
Education
Health Care
Continue reading “Rep. Erin Koegel (HD37A) Update: June 14, 2019”
