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Dear Neighbors,
As the DFL Vice Chair of the House Capital Investment Committee, I’ve been spending much of this fall traveling the state with my fellow committee members on both sides of the aisle, visiting proposed projects for state investment.
Typically, in non-budget years (though this has become less common) the Minnesota Legislature passes a Capital Investment Bill, otherwise known as a Bonding Bill. Funded by selling State Bonds, the bill invests in government infrastructure projects throughout the state.
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Our stop at Mankato’s Airport
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This fall’s tours provide legislators with first-hand experiences with these crucial projects. Bringing us to communities throughout Minnesota, we’re able to meet with local leaders, residents, and state officials to hear about their needs. Projects include water treatment plants, roads, community centers, public safety facilities, higher education buildings, parks, and more.
While it was an immense privilege to tour the state, (and I might be a little biased here) my favorite stops were in our own community.
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As part of our Southwest Regional Tour, I showed my colleagues the needs of our region, whether that's clean water in Eagle Lake, flood mitigation measures, updates to MSU, or an air traffic control tower at the Mankato Regional Airport. |
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The committee with Eagle Lake city leadership
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While we often tour projects asking for investment, we’ll also see sites that were recently awarded funds. A crucial project I fought for was the expansion of our state’s mental health safety net at the Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center (AMRTC).
AMRTC is crucial for addressing our state’s mental health needs as it is the sister site to the state hospital in St. Peter. Our recent investment delivered $55 million for the construction of a new 50-bed psychiatric facility. This is a shining example of the Minnesota Legislature coming together in a bipartisan fashion to address the issue of far too many Minnesotans sitting in jail cells instead of getting the mental health treatment they deserve.
Unfortunately, with the federal budget bill cutting funding to community mental health supports, my colleagues and I are concerned that we’re going to end up back where we started with our safety net overwhelmed and people piling up in our hospitals and jails again. The solution cannot be expanding our safety net again. I’m committed to finding creative solutions till federal funding can hopefully be restored.
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Touring the old Miller building, which will be demolished for the new 50-bed facility
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The Capital Investment Bill is a fantastic tool for building a better Minnesota, but it’s much more effective when we are working alongside dependable federal partners. Sadly, that’s not currently the case.
Connecting with Constituents
When I wasn’t touring the state this fall, I was back in our community connecting with constituents. The same week the House Capital Investment Committee came to visit, I also welcomed my colleague Representative Heather Keeler to Mankato to join in several crucial conversations on housing and the resources available to our community.
We had a great time with the Social Welfare Class at MSU, answering incredibly thoughtful questions and speaking with tomorrow's leaders.
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We also met up with Lutheran Social Services and Partners for Housing to talk about our region's unique needs when it comes to ensuring all of our neighbors have a safe place to call home. |
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In the same vein of housing, I also recently met with manufactured home park residents, who are currently struggling with private equity firms that are buying their parks and increasing their rents. I'm committed to reform and helping them gain more control over their lives. |
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As the 2026 Legislative Session approaches, these community conversations are crucial in ensuring I hit the ground running in fighting for our district’s needs. Regardless of whether or not we’re able to meet in person during the interim, always feel free to contact me - especially as I prepare to return to St. Paul in February.
You can send an email to [email protected] or call me at (651) 296-3248. Also, please visit and “like” my Facebook page for more Capitol and community updates.
Thank you for the privilege of representing you in the legislature.
Sincerely,
Luke Frederick
State Representative
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District 18B – [email protected]
5th Floor, Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar St.
St. Paul, MN 55155
(651) 296-3248 |
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