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District 26:
Q: What do you foresee as a key issue that will impact the Rochester area business community in the 2022 legislative session? A: The top issue in the 2022 legislative session will be the pandemic and its impact on the physical and mental health of Minnesotans of all ages, our health care system, our schools, and our economy. We must continue fighting the pandemic to protect the lives and health of Minnesotans, protect our hospitals and clinics from being overwhelmed, keep our schools operating safely, support our small businesses, and keep our economy going. The pandemic has exacerbated workforce shortages in all parts of the economy with no end in sight. The Legislature can help address these shortages with policies and funding that help Minnesotans stay on the job while still caring for their families, such as affordable and flexible childcare and paid family leave. Q: What are your expectations for the 2022 legislative session? Are there trends the business community should be aware of? A: Hard-working Minnesotans and good decisions by our state and federal governments have given us a healthy projected budget surplus. These resources could be used to help Minnesotans recover from some of the pandemic’s worst impacts on our small businesses, our workers, and vulnerable Minnesotans including our children. However, every constitutional office and every seat in the legislature is up for election this year, so it will be extra difficult to reach agreement on the budget. Two sitting state senators are also running for the Republican nomination for governor, which means there may be a lot of playing to their political base during the session. Unfortunately, that may also result in a reluctance to lead on fighting the pandemic. I will continue to work hard to overcome the difficult political headwinds to find and implement solutions to the many challenges we face.
Rep. Tina Liebling District 26A Rep. Tina Liebling District 26A
Legislator Information:
Representative Nels Pierson District 26B rep.nels.pierson@house.mn
Representative Liz Boldon District 25B rep.liz.boldon@house.mn
Representative Tina Liebling District 26A rep.tina.liebling@house.mn
Representative Duane Quam District 25A rep.duane.quam@house.mn
Senator Carla Nelson District 26 sen.carla.nelson@senate.mn
Senator David Senjem District 25 sen.david.senjem@senate.mn
Advantage Magazine | 5
January 2022
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