‘Matson Strong’ bill continues to receive strong Senate support
By: Senator John Jasinski

I am carrying a lot of bills this year that will help Minnesotans, but few of them mean as much to me as the Matson Strong bill. This bill strengthens state criminal penalties for individuals who are convicted of assault that causes great bodily harm to a police officer, judge, prosecutor, or correctional officer. It is named in honor of Officer Arik Matson, the Waseca police officer who was nearly killed in the line of duty last January. I’ve had the privilege of being able to get to know Arik and Megan throughout their journey. I visited Arik in the hospital last March, and it’s amazing to see the progress he has made. We all know he still has a long road ahead, but how far he has come already is nothing short of miraculous. They are two of the strongest people I’ve met. We continue to pray for Arik’s swift recovery.

The Matson Strong bill continues to make its way through the legislative process. This week it had a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee, which is the final stop before a floor vote and, if the House agrees, a signature from the governor.

I will keep you updated on the progress, but rest assured I am working hard to get this done for Officer Matson and all of Minnesota’s heroic law enforcement officers.

Funding for the I-35/County Road 9 interchange

I am the co-author of a comprehensive bill to direct the massive infusion of federal dollars to Minnesota through a series of targeted investments that will get the state moving forward beyond the pandemic. I presented this bill to the Finance Committee on April 16. I am excited that this bill includes full funding for the long-overdue I-35/County Road 9 interchange in Faribault.

The constitution empowers the legislature to determine how best to appropriate money for a reason – we know and understand the unique needs of communities across the state better than anyone. The Legislature should be part of the discussion on how to spend federal Covid assistance. 

Senate approves agriculture budget with expanded broadband access

This week we approved a comprehensive agriculture budget bill that helps Minnesota farmers while spurring innovation in the agriculture industry and provides resources for broadband expansion throughout the state. 

The bill includes a provision I authored this year to provide funding to the Southern Minnesota Initiative to promote local foods. It helps our agricultural community recover from the pandemic by strengthening our Ag sector supply chains and invests in helping more meat processing facilities expand and grow. Our bill also gives historic funding to the Border-to-Border Broadband Grant program, to develop permanent broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas. Additionally, the budget includes grants for farm safety equipment and allows the creation of a grain storage facility safety curriculum. Mental health outreach on farms and additional mental health services are also included, which continues funding for the existing 24-hour crisis hotline.

Senate jobs and economic growth budget energizes economic growth

The Senate jobs and economic growth bill is exactly what we need to get our economy back on track as we recover from Covid-19. It has been an incredibly difficult year for workers and businesses, but this bill will put us in a strong position again.

The bill includes a number of proposals that I carried this year, including $1 million for AIR grants, the innovative program I developed to generate economic development at local and regional airports; $250,000 in both 2022 and 2023 to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities for workforce readiness, employment exploration, and skills development for kids and young adults between the ages of 12 and 21; and $3.5 million for the Business Development Public Infrastructure program, which helps small communities throughout the state by providing public infrastructure investments to stimulate economic growth. This program has helped Faribault Foods, Daikin Applied Manufacturing in Faribault, Al-Corn Clean Fuel in Claremont, Bushel Boy Farms in Owatonna, and a number of other small businesses in Minnesota.