In this election year, much of our team's reporting will be focused on the politics leading up to November.
But there are a number of bills that members of Minnesota's congressional delegation are behind that highlight their priorities. As the Star Tribune's new Washington correspondent, I'll be keeping a close watch on them. Here's a short list:
Sen. Amy Klobuchar
The state's senior senator has long been a champion of consumer protection laws for children, such as legislation enhancing safety protections for pool drains.
Last week, the Minnesota Democrat introduced the Baby Food Safety Act of 2024 that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the ability to impose tougher limits on heavy metals in commercial baby food.
Sen. Tina Smith
Smith, a Democrat, recently worked across the aisle with GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski on the Enhancing Native Elders' Longevity, Dignity, Empowerment, and Respect (Native ELDER) Act. The bill would create a committee to provide recommendations on how programs under the Older Americans Act could improve services for elderly Native Americans.
Rep. Betty McCollum
McCollum, the longest-serving member of Minnesota's delegation, is behind a number of bills focusing on the environment. One is the Forever Chemical Regulation and Accountability Act that would review the "persistence, bioaccumulation, human health risks, and current uses" of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
The Democrat also recently sponsored the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative Act with Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.
Rep. Tom Emmer
The Republican House Majority Whip sits on the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion and the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, a recently created committee that looks closely at cryptocurrency, otherwise known as "digital assets," as lawmakers try to figure out how to regulate crypto.
Emmer's CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act would put the brakes on the Federal Reserve from issuing central bank digital currency, or CBDCs. That's a form of digital currency that would be issued by the central bank. So far, the federal reserve has yet to decide whether to issue the currency.
Emmer also worked with Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. on a bill that would scrap a provision in the National Housing Act that prevents inpatient psychiatric hospitals from applying for mortgage assistance.
Rep. Angie Craig
The Democratic congresswoman has worked on a number of law enforcement-related bills. Most recently, she unveiled a bill that would make it easier for local police departments to purchase armored vehicles.
Craig also worked on a bill that would require SNAP-authorized retailers to pay better wages to delivery workers.
Rep. Ilhan Omar
Omar, a Democrat, recently worked on the Judicial Ethics Enforcement Act of 2024 that would allow the inspector general to investigate alleged violations of the Code of Conduct by U.S. Supreme Court justices.
Omar also helped reintroduce the Crown Act that would prevent discrimination based on individuals' hair texture.
Rep. Pete Stauber
Stauber, a former police officer, is behind a resolution the House passed Friday that condemns violence against cops and recognizes their work. It was part of a package of legislation that Republicans brought forward to commemorate Police Week.
His Superior National Forest Restoration Act recently passed the House. The bill would overturn the Biden administration's withdrawal of 225,000 acres of minerals in the Superior National Forest to allow for mining of minerals like copper in the Duluth Complex.
Rep. Dean Phillips
Phillips, on his last term in Congress, is hoping to see several pieces of legislation through.
One is the Allergen Disclosure In Non-Food Articles, or ADINA Act, that would require labeling of major food allergens or gluten-containing grains on drugs on par with labeling standards that are placed on food products.
Rep. Michelle Fischbach
The Republican congresswoman recently introduced the Congressional Review Act that would overturn the Department of Health and Human Service's mandatory nursing staff ratio rule. She introduced another Congressional Review Act that would block taxpayer funds from going to public healthcare programs that help immigrants in the country illegally.
Rep. Brad Finstad
The Republican is a fourth-generation farmer who sits on the House Agriculture Committee, which is working on the next Farm Bill. Markups on that are expected next week.
He and Fischbach recently unveiled the Federal Agriculture Risk Management Enhancement and Resilience (FARMER) Act that would make crop insurance more affordable. He is also behind the CRP Modernization Act that he said would improve the Conservation Reserve Program.
