Dear Neighbors, I hope you’re staying warm. Even as hearty Minnesotans, these subzero temperatures are brutal. If you’re experiencing high heating bills this winter, an initiative the state legislature strengthened in 2021 may help lower costs. Many homeowners needing basic home improvements (repairing windows, removing asbestos, repairing cracked foundations or siding) often face challenges paying upfront for these pre-weatherization measures.  Minnesotans using CenterPoint or Xcel Energy can schedule an appointment with the Home Energy Squad to visit their homes to identify low cost energy-saving solutions. Each visit is approximately two hours, and during that time, the Home Energy Squad will perform various energy-saving tests, inspect your insulation, heating and cooling systems, and water heater. The cost for visits varies based on income, so people can expect to pay as little as nothing up to $100. There is also an option to receive text messages or emails directly from the Home Energy Squad if a cancellation occurs and they can move the visit up earlier.  CenterPoint Energy estimated that this conservation program has saved Minnesotans $25 million collectively during just one cold weather event. Learn more by clicking the link above. You can also learn about potential pre-weatherization rebates, and if you are eligible here. Update from the CapitolLast week, the House lawfully organized and got underway on Thursday, after my GOP colleagues accepted our offer to co-govern. You can read my official press statement here. House Republicans will have their leader, Lisa Demuth, serve as Speaker of the House for the biennium, but most importantly, Rep. Brad Tabke from Shakopee will get to serve his term in office, and Democrats and Republicans will co-govern if and when the House returns to a 67-67 tie next month.  The key task at hand for legislators is balancing a state budget for the next two years that doesn’t roll back progress for working families, seniors, people with disabilities, and students. We’re also facing the direct effects of federal funding freezes and impending tariffs. I spoke with the West Saint Paul Reader about what I hope we can accomplish this year; you can read it here. Now that the State House has officially convened, committees have started work. I will be serving on the Education Finance Committee, where I’m thrilled to dig in and bring my perspective as an educator to meet the needs of students, teachers, and our schools in our community.  I'm excited to author legislation that strengthens reading resources for Minnesota students. I’m also looking forward to serving on the State Government Finance and Policy Committee, in addition to the Veterans & Military Affairs Division. Over the past few weeks,I’ve been working hard in our district, and I’m excited to bring that work back to the State Capitol.  I appreciated the recent tour of the Minneapolis Minnesota Veterans Home with members of the Veterans Affairs Division. It was wonderful connecting with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs to see firsthand how the investments we passed in the legislature are helping the brave women and men who have worn the uniform serving our country.  Our compassionate community saw a need for our neighbors struggling with mental health and they organized with a solution to help. Thanks to our community members, Dakota County, and so many others, the Guild – a West St. Paul nonprofit – can now provide more space (16 new beds!) to accommodate our neighbors experiencing a mental health crisis or long-term homelessness. I am honored to have carried the legislation that invested in this project. You can read more in the Star Tribune’s coverage here. I was grateful for the opportunity to see Dakota County's Safety and Mental Health Alternative Response Training (SMART) Center recently with State Reps. Rick Hansen, Liz Reyer, and Robert Bierman. We learned how state investments contribute to the facility's training efforts with crisis response and de-escalation.  The Mendota Heights Police are doing the best they can with their limited workspace in the shared City Hall building. I was glad they could take time out of their busy days to show Rep. Bianca Virnig, Rep. Fue Lee, Rep. Liz Reyer, and me their vision of an expansion of the PD center. All of us deserve to get home safely at the end of the day, and renovating City Hall will ensure our officers are equipped with the tools they need to better serve residents and keep all of us safe.  I appreciated Sunfish Lake resident Dr. Chuck Sawyer stopping by the Capitol this week to discuss his support for HF 97, which would expand chirpractic care access to Minnesotans on Medical Assistance. Keep in TouchPlease continue to contact me anytime at rep.mary.frances.clardy@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-3533. Due to technological limitations, direct replies to this newsletter won’t reach me. Please email using the email address above or via phone. If you were forwarded this email and you’d like to subscribe, click here. If you have a friend or neighbor who would be interested in receiving these, please forward this and encourage them to subscribe. Thank you for the honor of representing our West Saint Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Mendota Heights, Lilydale, and Sunfish Lake neighbors at the State Capitol. Please keep in touch on the key issues important to you! Forward, Mary Frances Clardy
State Representative |