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Dear Neighbors

Last week was a historical week for our nation with the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. However, it is important that we remind ourselves that bettering our communities requires us to start with the local work we do. We need to continue the focus on our COVID-19 response and economic stability. Building back Minnesota is our number one priority this legislative session.

Priorities for the 2021 Session 

Recently, my colleagues and I in the House, announced our first priorities for the session. We will work to introduce and implement legislation that will provide assistance to Minnesotans impacted by COVID-19, strengthen worker protections, better support people experiencing houselessness, support our education system, and ensure affordable child care is available to those who need it. 

Strengthening Our Democracy Through Legislation

Last week, legislators introduced House File 9, chief authored by Representative Greenman, aiming to build a strong, inclusive democracy that will:

• Prohibit intimidating and harassing voters or elections officials and using deceptive practices to disenfranchise voters.
• Ensure state and local elections officials can access the critical federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funds they need for election security and infrastructure.
• Establish automatic voter registration, allows 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote, and restores the right to vote for Minnesotans who are on probation or parole.
• Takes steps to increase transparency and unveil who is spending money to influence our elections,modernizes the Political Contribution Refund (PCR) program, replacing it with Democracy Dollars coupons that are available to all registered Minnesota voters.
• Improve Minnesota’s redistricting process. It sets fair criteria for lawmakers to follow when drawing and evaluating maps and creates a public process to solicit Minnesotans’ input, make redistricting data available to the public, and provide advance notice of maps and hearings.

Due North Education Plan

Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan announced the Due North Education Plan, a sweeping agenda for the future of education in Minnesota. Developed from a robust engagement effort with educators, school leaders, students, and families across the state, the Due North Education Plan is centered on ensuring every child in Minnesota receives a high-quality education, no matter their race or zip code. You can watch the announcement on the Governor’s YouTube page.

On Governor Walz's COVID-19 Recovery Budget

Minnesotans across the state were hit by this unfortunate pandemic in different ways, and as lawmakers, it is our job to support our workforce, students and small businesses to emerge from this crisis stronger they they were before. 

I am proud to partner with Governor Walz to introduce legislation that will confront the challenges faced by Minnesotans and invest in the future of our state. 

Stay In Touch

You can stay up to date on our work by subscribing to these legislative updates and “liking” my official Facebook page. For any questions you have on the resources available to our community or our work in the Minnesota House, you can reach me at rep.andrew.carlson@house.mn or leave a voicemail at (651) 296-4218. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Andrew Carlson 

State Representative