2409 MN Senate Building

95 University Ave W
St. Paul, MN 55155

Capitol UpdateApril 4, 2016

www.senate.mn/
senatorwiklund

Highlights:
I serve on the following
committees: Health,
Human Services, and
Housing, E-12 Education
Policy and Finance, State
& Local Government.
Second Deadline is April
8th.
Im also looking forward
to meeting with Bloomington and Richfield residents about issues that
will be discussed this
year.

How to contact me
at the Capitol:
Phone:
651-297-8061
E-mail:
sen.melissa.wiklund
@senate.mn

Rep. Linda
Slocum (50A):
651-296-7158
rep.linda.slocum
@house.mn
Rep. Chad
Anderson (50B):
651-296-4218
rep.chad.anderson
@house.mn

April 7, 2016

SD50Bloomington, Richfield

Legislative Work Continues

At this point, before committee deadlines, I have been
spending most of my time in
committee, hearing and debating
bills. However, the full Senate
has taken up and passed several
bills.
Probably the most widelydiscussed bills have revolved
around unemployment. On
March 10th, the Senate passed
S.F. 1006, authored by Sen.
David Tomassoni of Chisholm,
which provides for extended
unemployment benefits for laidoff workers on the Iron Range.
Im glad we could pass this bill
and provide needed relief to
these workers. After weeks of
discussion and debate, the Senate also passed S.F. 2891, authored by Sen. Lyle Koenen of
Clara City, which reduces the
amount that employers pay into
the Unemployment Insurance
Fund.

Last week, we also took

steps toward addressing concerns that I have heard about
regarding Real ID implementation. The bill the Senate passed,
S.F. 1646, authored by Sen.
Scott Dibble of Minneapolis,
allows the state to study implementation and determine what
would be the best course of
action. Constituents have contacted me, and I am hopeful the
legislature will address these
issues this year.
Ive also continued presenting bills that Im authoring in
Senate committees. In the past
three weeks, I had four bills up
in Health, Human Services, and
Housing, four bills in State &
Local Government, three in
Judiciary, two in State Departments and Veterans Affairs Finance, and one each in Jobs,
Agriculture, and Rural Development and Education Finance.

These bills cover a wide

variety of topics, including licensure for genetic counselors,
establishing a registry for spoken
-language health care interpreters, as well as issues related to
construction contracts in
Hennepin County. Multiple
committee hearings means long
days, but the days are also very
fulfilling!

Constituents Visit Capitol

One of the highlights of
serving in the Senate is the opportunity to meet with residents of our district. Recently,
Richfield and Bloomington residents came to St. Paul representing Howling for Wolves, the
Building Trades, and the Licensed Beverage Association.
Last week, I was fortunate to
meet with constituents from the

Alzheimers Association, insurance providers, the Land Stewardship Project, and mental
health advocates.
Im glad to see that so many
of our neighbors are taking an
active interest in state government and take the time to come
to St. Paul to meet with me
about such diverse topics.

Stay in touch! My contact

information, and the information for the House
members from our district
is on the left, please feel
free to contact my office
with any questions, comments, or concerns you
might have. I work for you,
and the more I hear from
you, the better I can do so!

Page 2

Holy
Angels
Girls
Basketball
state
championship is the
schools
first since
1975!

Capitol UpdateApril 4, 2016

Around the District

Congratulations to the Holy Angels Girls

Baskteball Team for winning the Class
3A State Championship!

The Lupus Foundation of Minnesota

will host an informational dinner for in
Bloomington for people living with lupus or
other autoimmune diseases on April 12th,
at 6pm. Information can be found at (952)
746-5151.

The City of Richfield and RichfieldBloomington Community Services are hosting Bunny Boot Camp, a chance for families to learn about, and play with, real-live
bunnies on April 7th, at 6:30pm, at the Richfield Community Center (7000 Nicollet Ave
S). Register online through the City of
Richfield.

Registration is now open for all Bloomington Parks and Recreation summer
programs. For more information, call
(952) 563-8877

The Richfield Community Center (7000

Nicollet Ave S) is hosting a conversation
about Alzheimers disease on Monday
April 11th, at 1-2:30pm. The discussion will
center on lifestyle habits and their effects on
health.

Minnesota History: On April 3rd, 1970,

the former Minneapolis Greyhound bus
station opens its doors as a music club, the
Depot. Eight years later, it would be renamed First Avenue.

Education Committee Passes Policy Bill

On March 31st, the Education Committee
passed the Omnibus Policy bill, S.F. 2744, authored by Sen. Chuck Wiger of Maplewood.
The committee heard testimony on March 30th.
This bill contains a number of bipartisan proposals, including:

Opportunities to encourage more Minnesotans to train to become teachers

Proposals to better address teacher quality

and safety

Provisions to address more efficient testing

A more proactive approach to ensuring that

students are reading by 3rd grade

Giving homeless children priority to receive

early learning scholarships

Streamlines requirements to better align

with state Worlds Best Workforce policies
and federal Every Student Succeeds Act
changes

These changes had bipartisan support, and

will make a difference for Minnesota students.

Looking Ahead...
Second Deadline is Friday, April 8th, which
means that most policy committee work is nearly at an end for the year. I look forward to
meeting with constituents representing social
workers, SEIU, Teamsters, early childhood educators, retailers, multiple sclerosis advocates, and
teachers from Richfield. I also plan to participate
in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Day at the
Capitol. Im carrying a bill this year to provide
additional FASD training for foster parents. If
you have time, I hope youll stop by the Capitol
and say Hi!. I look forward to having time to
meet with you after session, so Ill see you
around town!

Sen. Wiklund speaks at a press conference with

Sens. Foung Hawj (DFL-St. Paul) and Chris
Eaton (DFL-Brooklyn Center), and Rep. Joe
Mullery (DFL-Minneapolis).