Friends and neighbors, 

I hope everyone’s summer is off to a great start, despite turbulence in our community with record rainfall leading to damaging floods all across Southern Minnesota. I spent some time on Monday helping to fill sandbags at the Nicollet County Historical Society. Thank you to the nearly two dozen volunteers to responded to my Facebook call for help to complete the project in time.  

Make sure to be flood aware by watching for rising water and using caution around rivers, streams, and lakes. Look for more information from authorities should the situation warrant action or additional warnings. You can view several KEYC stories here. Feel free to reach out to my office if you have any questions. 

Please, do not make your way to watch the river flooding in the Mankato/North Mankato area. We know curiosity is strong to see the floods in person, but this can turn into an extremely serious situation very quickly. Stay home, stay safe, and stay vigilant.  

As Pride Month comes to a close, I want to take a moment to honor the progress our LGBTQA+ friends and neighbors fought for and highlight the accomplishments of my colleagues in the Queer Caucus this year in the Minnesota Legislature. I'm proud to stand by you as an ally. 

On this day in 2016, Marriage Equality was finally delivered across the United States. While these protections still stand, states all across the country are fighting to tear it down. Here in Minnesota, we expanded protections for the LGBTQA+ community so that anyone who needs safety can find it in Minnesota. The list below highlights some of the accomplishments we delivered this year. 

 Expanding Healthcare 

• Health Insurance Plans Required to Cover Gender-Affirming Care 
• Expanding Access to PEP/PREP 

Empowering Families and Survivors  

• Logan’s Law: Ending the Need for Second-Parent Adoption 
• Task Force on Preventing Violence Against Latine Women, Girls, and  LGBTQIA2S+ People 
• Secured Investments for Transgender homeless shelter site analysis 
• Ended the LGBTQIA2S+ Panic Defense 

Education 

• Comprehensive Health Education 
• Updating all Minnesota Statutes to use Gender-Neutral Spousal Language 

Workforce 

• $1 Million Investment in LGBTQIA2S+ Workforce Development  

Thank you to the Star Tribune for continuing to tell Amara’s story, and especially to her sister, Nora, for her continued advocacy.  

Please take a few minutes and read this story. It's important to understand why Amara Strande and her family fought so hard in Saint Paul to pass Amara’s law, which I was proud and honored to author. She only had a few months left and used them all to fight for a better Minnesota. 

Cancer statistically effects 1 in 2 people. I hope that my legislation greatly reduces that number in Minnesota. This isn’t the end for this work - I’m planning to continue working towards a future in Minnesota free of toxics. 

When I heard St. Peter wasn’t going to have fireworks this year, I got ahold of Ed Lee right away. Looks like a ton of neighbors did the same.  The St. Peter Ambassadors have a great update full of good news! We still have a small hurdle to overcome in order to have fireworks on the 4th of July in Saint Peter, but things are on track. 

Thank you St. Peter Ambassadors, Saint St. Peter Area Chamber, City of Saint Peter, Minnesota, St. Peter High School for making it happen! 

As always, I want to hear from you. Get in touch by calling 651-296-8634 to reach me, or email rep.jeff.brand@house.mn.gov. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram for the latest.  

Stay cool out there.  

In solidarity,  

Representative Jeff Brand 

Minnesota House of Representatives