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Andy Smith Banner




2024 Session Wrap-Up

Dear Neighbors,

The 2024 Legislative Session adjourned on May 20, and this two-year biennium has been one of the most productive in state history. This term, we worked towards a better future for Minnesotans and made progress on so many challenges currently facing our state.

We made great progress tackling issues like gun violence prevention, health care reform, and consumer protection, priorities that previously stalled under divided government. But there is still more work to do.

House DFL lawmakers will continue working with our neighbors and community members to lower the cost of living, deliver economic security for working families, and ensure everyone has the tools they need to thrive.

After setting a transformational two-year budget last year, House DFLers built off 2023?s historically productive session by enacting more solutions to grow the state?s middle class and ensure all Minnesotans have the opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their families.

Smith

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Bills Passed into Law

This year I was proud to author legislation that requires notices and public hearings for hospital closures (HF 3700 [ [link removed] ]), to address the string of rural hospital closures we are seeing statewide, which was included in our final Health agreement.

I was also proud to coauthor critical bills helping working-class Minnesotans. We passed bills to reform our health care prior authorization process to remove barriers to health care (HF 3578 [ [link removed] ]), a bill to prevent the misclassification of workers (HF 4444 [ [link removed] ]), and legislation that requires full ticket price transparency for concerts, sporting events, and more (HF 1989 [ [link removed] ]).

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End of Session Action

Last year the Legislature passed our major two-year budget bills, and this year the House built on that progress by passing small supplemental budgets alongside more substantial policy changes in major committee areas. Working alongside the Governor and our Senate counterparts, we reached final agreements on all major budget bills.

You can find nonpartisan summaries about the final agreements here: Transportation, Labor and Housing [ [link removed] ], Energy and Agriculture [ [link removed] ], Public Safety and Judiciary [ [link removed] ], Commerce and Cannabis [ [link removed] ], Jobs and Economic Development [ [link removed] ], Environment and Natural Resources [ [link removed] ], K-12 Education [ [link removed] ], Higher Education [ [link removed] ], Human Services [ [link removed] ], Health [ [link removed] ], and Elections [ [link removed] ].

These are all great bills, but as a member of the Economic Development [ [link removed] ], Health [ [link removed] ], Taxes [ [link removed] ], and Sustainable Infrastructure [ [link removed] ] committees, I?m especially proud of our efforts there.

We also passed a gun violence prevention bill [ [link removed] ] that includes tougher penalties for straw purchasers and a ban on binary triggers, a bill [ [link removed] ] that will increase wages for rideshare drivers while keeping companies operating in Minnesota, a health occupational licensure and scoping bill [ [link removed] ], legislation improving our child welfare services [ [link removed] ] and addressing racial disparities, and a tenant?s right?s package [ [link removed] ].

House Floor

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Slow Mow Summer

You?ve probably heard of ?No Mow May? and may have even participated in making your lawn more pollinator-friendly! While it?s a catchy slogan, researchers from the University of Minnesota Bee Lab [ [link removed] ] have modified the popular campaign due to additional research on best practices for pollinators and lawn health.

*?Slow Mow Summer? takes the sentiment of ?No Mow May? and expands it to the entire growing season!* Because guess what? Bees need food AFTER May, too. Many bee species do not even emerge from hibernation until June or July, when self-heal, ground plum, lanceleaf tickweed, or calico American aster may be blooming in your lawn.?

Mowing after lawn flowers bloom instead of before is the main goal of ?Slow Mow Summer.? You can learn more about how best to help native pollinators, like Rusty Patched Bumblebee, survive and thrive here [ [link removed] ]!

SLOW MOW MAY
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Stay Connected!

*Unfortunately, due to technological constraints, replies to this newsletter won?t reach my email account.?*To share your input or ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance, please feel free to reach out [email protected]?or 651-296-9249, and I will be happy to help. If you were forwarded this email and you?d like to subscribe, click here [ [link removed] ]. If you have a friend or neighbor who would be interested in receiving these, please forward this and encourage them to subscribe!

Warmly,?

Andy Smith,
State Representative






Representative Andy Smith

411 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155

Phone: 651-296-9249
Email:[email protected] "(replies to this newsletter are not monitored)"
Website:?[link removed]
Legislative Assistant: Robin Schmidt, 651-296-8197







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