Friends and Neighbors,

I had the opportunity to meet with many local organizations this week at the capitol complex!  From social services and educators to medical groups and trade unions, I met with as many people as my schedule allowed to ensure everyone’s voice was heard.  But, if you were following along, you know how busy the Senate calendar was as well.  The State & Local Government and Veterans Committee and Elections Committee calendars have been full each day with 20 bills scheduled to be heard tomorrow.  It’s going to be a busy week!

SRO Repair is Done!

Good news on the effort to fix the damage from the School Resource Officer (SRO) law that Democrats passed last year. On Thursday, we voted overwhelmingly to repair that law and restore SROs to their proper roles in our schools. Only 3 Senators voted against the bipartisan bill.  There is a lesson to be learned here. The 2023 law that Democrats approved was driven by activists – not expert feedback. Law enforcement and school officials were not consulted. Had the Democrat legislative majorities been more willing to listen to all voices, we could have avoided this situation.   SROs are invaluable. They mentor students, connect them with helpful resources, and most importantly, help prevent violence from occurring. There is no evidence – none – of SROs mistreating kids before this law kicked in.  The impact of the 2023 law change was felt almost immediately. Reports of violence at schools were shared widely. In another incident, an SRO was sent to the hospital after breaking up a fight.  The bill we just passed is a good first step, but it doesn’t go far enough in my view. A better approach would be fully repealing last year’s law and giving teachers more authority to protect students from violence and keep campuses secure.  Keeping our schools safe for learning must be a top priority. While this repair is not perfect, I am glad that SROs will soon be back in all schools that need them. DEED Grant Awarded I’m pleased to share that the MN Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Office of Broadband Development has announced that East Central Energy’s Mille Lacs South project has been approved for a $4,885,809 grant for the $13,204,890 project. This grant will be funded with state general fund revenues through the recent Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Round 9. Broadband infrastructure will be expanded in areas of Minnesota that remain unserved or underserved. The Office of Broadband Development will work closely with grantees to ensure that households, businesses, farms and community institutions throughout the state have access to high-speed broadband services. That’s one step closer to ensuring District 28 is connected to the rest of the nation! Pest Treatment in the District The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and partner organizations are proposing to treat spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) infestations this summer across approximately 160,000 acres in Carlton, Chisago, Fillmore, Houston, Isanti, Pine, and St. Louis counties. The treatments will be conducted from June through July, depending on insect development and weather. Residents in proposed treatment areas and the public are invited to attend an informational meeting to learn more about the insect and the treatment methods. There will be three virtual meetings, as well as in-person meetings in early April in Hinckley, Cloquet, Caledonia, Virginia, and North Branch. More information is available here: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/42-areas-minnesota-targeted-spongy-moth-treatments-2024 Sincerely, Mark