After session ended, I was happy to celebrate the momentous occasion with HCMC Leadership, patients, dedicated healthcare workers and nurses in celebrating our partnership in saving our level one trauma hospital. No matter who you are or what you look like, HCMC will care for you. And I'm proud we ensured it will do just that for years to come.
A special thank you to Dr. Meghan Walsh, Chief Academic Officer at Hennepin Healthcare; transplant recipient Harold Golden, community advocate Jeremy Olson-Ehlert, Minnesota Nurses Association 2nd Vice President; and Jessica Tangen, Lactation Consultant and AFSCME member, for coming to the Capitol to testify and make your voices heard on this important issue.
Your testimony centered our solution on providing stability not only for the hospital, but also for workers and their families. You are the heartbeat of the hospital, and I am proud to continue our partnership to ensure HCMC's success through establishing long-term funding and stability.
Listening to those closest to the issue is ultimately what allowed us to save our premier safety-net hospital and training school for future healthcare professionals.
Read about it in the news:
Even in a tied House, DFLers were successful in passing critical legislation to improve the lives of all Minnesotans. There’s more work to be done, but I’m proud of all of us for showing up every day fighting for our values, bringing the stories of our constituents to the Capitol, and moving our feet towards progress. Together we passed a variety of bills including:
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Secured $40M in rental assistance
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Renaming a community solar garden after Melissa Hortman
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Increased penalties for impersonating a peace officer/law enforcement
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Funded $28.2M for Environmental community grants, making LCCMR money available to small nonprofits and community groups for the first time
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Banning Crypto Kiosks and regulating AI usage
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Banning prediction markets
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Supported public broadcasting (TV and Radio)
My Minneapolis House members and I worked tirelessly to secure several critical wins for a city that has faced a series of difficult headwinds. These include securing stable funding to save the Hennepin County Medical Center and bringing home over $43 million dollars in critical infrastructure investments. Read our full statement here.
 In other good news for our north Minneapolis community, the Northside Economic Opportunity Network (NEON) is now open. This is a project that the legislature had supported with $6M, and it is wonderful to see it supporting entrepreneurs and customers in the neighborhood. This first-of-its-kind facility provides the infrastructure and resources small food businesses need to operate safely, efficiently, and sustainably—while strengthening the local food economy and expanding opportunity for our community.
I deeply value being in this work to improve lives with you. Please continue to reach out with any input, ideas, or feedback about the issues important to you. Please reach out anytime if you need assistance, schedule a meeting or community event, or have questions at rep.esther.agbaje@house.mn.gov or 651-296-8659.
Minnesota House of Representatives (59B)
Due to technological limitations, this mailbox is not monitored. To reach Rep. Esther Agbaje directly, please email rep.esther.agbaje@house.mn.gov
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