Tag: House District 48A

Rep. Laurie Pryor (48A) – Legislative Update

Dear Neighbors,

Today is Election Day. Polls are open until 8 p.m. for our local elections for school board and if you live in Minnetonka, the city council. If you’re in doubt as to where you vote, the Secretary of State has a poll finder which you can access here.

Town Hall Meeting Reminder

I’d like to again invite you to the Town Hall Meeting Sen. Steve Cwodzinski and I are hosting on Saturday. As I’ve been out and about the community this fall, people have told me how glad they are that there is an opportunity for neighbors to get together and talk about the issues important to them. We know that our community values civic engagement and civil conversation, and Steve and I are looking forward to the discussion. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: November 7, 2017”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (48A) – Legislative Update

Dear Neighbors,

While it’s almost November, it’s certainly hard to believe snow is already flying in the state of Minnesota. With Halloween almost upon us, I hope any trick-or-treaters in your family have a safe and fun evening with costumes and candy. Here is an update from the Capitol.

Town Hall Meeting

As we look to gather input from community members prior to the 2018 legislative session, Sen. Steve Cwodzinski and I invite you to attend an upcoming Town Hall Meeting. We will gather on Saturday, November 11 from 10-11:30 a.m. at Minnetonka High School in the Forum Room. This will be a good opportunity to share ideas, ask questions and provide feedback. I hope you will be able to join us for some quality conversations with your neighbors about the important issues on the legislature’s agenda. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: October 27, 2017”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (48A) – Legislative Update

Dear Neighbors,

Starting this Friday, it will be an exciting weekend in St. Paul as the celebration of the State Capitol’s Grand Opening gets underway. Following almost four years of work on an intricate restoration, the State Capitol reopened earlier this year with the same glory it held when it originally opened in 1905. Simply, the results are breathtaking. Artwork which had deteriorated for several decades is now as vibrant as ever. Space available to the public has nearly doubled. Energy efficiency has been improved, technology upgrades have been implemented, and accessibility has been enhanced to standards of the present day. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor Update: August 8, 2017”

The 2017 legislative session, my first as a member of the Minnesota House wrapped up just about one month ago. Positive budget projections gave us the opportunity to support the priorities that make us proud to be Minnesotans.

In Minnesota, we value our strong public schools, affordable and accessible health care, abundant natural resources, and overall, the ability for every family to get a shot at prosperity in our economy.  We were able to move forward in some of these areas, yet in others, work remains.

All of our EE_12 sutdents deserve to have the resources they need to achieve in the classroom. Especially with a budget surplus, it was imperative that we deliver on this value.  I was disheartened by the House majority’s initial proposal to underfund our schools, not even covering the cost of inflations, and to cut voluntary pre-K. Continue reading “Session saw victories for Minnesotans”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (48A) – Legislative Update

Dear Neighbors,

It’s been just about a month since the legislative session ended, and I’ve had more time to meet with community members. Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, members of Governor Dayton’s staff and I recently had the opportunity to visit with some members of the Eden Prairie Fire Department about the issues important to them, including safety and their pensions. I also had a terrific time at this past Saturday’s Minnetonka Ice Cream Social.

Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor Update: June 30, 2017”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (48A) – Legislative Update

Dear Neighbors,

I hope you all had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend. We can be grateful for the opportunity to reflect on and recognize the sacrifices made by brave Americans in our military and enjoy the time with family and friends.

The 2017 Minnesota Legislative Session ended last week. Because a full 70% of the state budget had not been passed before the constitutional deadline of midnight Monday, Governor Dayton called for a special session to finish the remaining work. Now that the dust has largely settled, I’d like to point out some of the highlights as well as lowlights. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor Update: June 1, 2017”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (48A) – Legislative Update

Dear Neighbors,

We are currently in day four of what was to be a one day special session to finish work on the state budget. After a few “extra innings,” so to speak, it looks like we may conclude the session today.

Late Monday night a framework for an agreement was reached between Gov. Dayton and Republican legislative leaders, and a commitment was made to finish the work by 7:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. This was clearly overly optimistic as the health and human services bill was finally released just this afternoon. Monday night, the Tax and E-12 education bills were passed, yesterday we passed a transportation bill, and left on the to-do list are HHS, state government finance, and bonding bills. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor Update: May 25, 2017”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (48A) – Legislative Update

Dear Neighbors,

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit with some bright, engaging junior high students from Hopkins. It’s always encouraging to spend time with young people from our community and hear their ideas for good legislation while also sharing some of my experiences from the State Capitol.

 

If you plan to come by with a group taking a field trip or other visit to the Capitol, please let me know; I’d love to say hello. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor Update: May 19, 2017”

Rep. Laurie Pryor (48A) – Legislative Update

Dear Neighbors,

There are just 11 days remaining in the 2017 legislative session. At this time last year, I was not a member of the Legislature. I was simply someone watching the process from the outside. Frankly, I was alarmed at the gridlock and unwillingness to compromise. The stage was set for a frantic end to the session and the risk of not passing bonding, transportation, and other important bills. You may remember that this is exactly what happened when legislation, riddled with errors, was considered in the final minutes of the session without meaningful input from the public or even time to know what was in a bill before voting.

Based on events this week, I’m fearful that House Republicans are leading us down a similar path. Gov. Mark Dayton released his budget proposals earlier this year, and within the last months the Republicans in the House and Senate Majorities laid out theirs in a series of omnibus budget bills. Gov. Dayton and his commissioners have been reaching out to legislators to let them know his priorities as well as items to which he objects. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor Update: May 12, 2017”