Representative Liz Lee - 67A

☀️Thanks to India Association of Minnesota for another great celebration of India’s independence!

ESNDC Leadsafe Program is still doing FREE blood testing for lead. Stop by next Tuesday Aug 20!

Our monthly lead blood testing clinic will not be opened today. We will be back next Tuesday, August 20th from 10 AM to 12 PM.

Thank you for coming in and we hope to see more new faces next week!

🏠Thanks to Habitat for Humanity - Twin Cities for hosting yesterday’s ribbon cutting to celebrate construction of 147 units at The Heights!

🚜With the help of the St. Paul delegation, I was able to pass legislation that dedicated $11 million to remediate the land to be suitable for housing.

🫱🏼‍🫲🏾This is a critical investment in our community that will enrich the lives of all our neighbors. 

Team St. Paul at Mayor Melvin Carter’s 2025 Budget Address!

As someone who plays the violin, my favorite thing at Irish fest is always the music. Yesterday, I had the luck of running into a group playing a beautiful Gaelic song by a man who was too sick to go to war, but lost all his neighborhood friends in one battle during WWI. It was a good reminder of the cost of war and what those at home lose.

👏🏼✨💕🔥Last week, I was incredibly proud to congratulate the first cohort of our Social Kitchen fellows!

Thanks to the vision and leadership of Pastor Carl Johnson, these young folks now have the necessary tools they need to start a career in the culinary arts.

I was proud to author and pass the first bill to fund Social Kitchen with Representative Jay Xiong last year. When we talk about investments in our community and our young people, this is exactly what it looks like! 🌽🍎🫱🏼‍🫲🏾

Thanks to Sewa - Asian Indian Family Wellness for hosting our MN Asian Pacific - MAP Caucus for a 2024 session debrief!

It was great to be hosted by Rep. Samantha Vang and Senator Susan Pha!

✨💕Congratulations to our Eastside girl Sunisa Lee on her bronze medal! In 2021, Suni became the first Asian American to win gold in Women's All-Around gymnastics.

✨💕So proud of our Eastside girl! 🥹💕✨ Congrats Sunisa Lee and !

MINNESOTA WIN: The women's gymnastics team got the gold. St. Paul's Suni Lee scored 14.600 on beam and 14.566 on the bars.

📸 AP.

📚My heart is so full! Grateful to Children's Defense Fund-MN and its Freedom Schools across the country - including here on the Eastside!

I had a great morning sharing my love of reading with our young people and learning the meaning of “heroic hearts.” 💕

🛝Hayden Heights Rec Center is getting a new playground! This is the result of our Greater East Side Community Council,
private-public partnerships, and the 1cent sales tax. Thanks to all the volunteers who worked so hard to literally put this together!

Earlier this month, I was proud to celebrate with Hmong Cultural Center of Minnesota their expansion, which was made possible through a bill that Chair Xiong and I helped pass! I learned this would increase the capacity of the center’s programming and even ran into a fellow Eastsider!

📰Last week, a Ramsey County District Court judge found that the Northern Iron Foundry in St. Paul could continue normal operations despite Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) action for air quality violations. This is an unprecedented decision that puts corporate interests over the health and safety of Eastsiders - from young children to some of our longest serving neighbors.

I was proud to join Chair Rick Hansen in leading our Eastside delegation in calling upon the MPCA to appeal this decision. I have been in contact with the MPCA directly as well.

You can read more about the court case and our response in the Pioneer Press:

East Side St. Paul state lawmakers oppose judicial order on Northern Iron foundry Four state lawmakers have urged the MPCA to appeal the Ramsey County District Court decision.

Ramsey County, is hosting a FREE soil testing drive on Wednesday July 10, 3 - 7 PM at the Eastside YMCA for residents concerned about lead.

The event will offer free lead screening of residents' soil samples, information on how to lower exposure to lead, gardening best practices, and lead and health information.

For more information and what to do if you can't get to the July 10 event: ramseycounty.us/soil-testing-event

Bring a soil sample to be tested for lead at the Eastside YMCA soilSHOP event on July 10 from 3-7 p.m. Get more information and learn how to correctly collect a sample at ramseycounty.us/SoilTestingEvent.

🏙️🏘️🪙📈What a pleasure it was to host the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders this week in St. Paul! We were proud to show how small businesses and entrepreneurs are driving the economy in Minnesota and across the country.

🫱🏼‍🫲🏾Thanks to the Commissioners for taking time to listen to the hopes and dreams of our community, while also sharing federal resources. I especially want to thank our very own commissioner from the Eastside, KaYing Yang, for bringing her colleagues here.

Thanks to Minnesota Senate DFL Majority Leader Erin Murphy for helping co-host to ensure the Commission meeting at our Capitol went off without a hitch. Thanks to State Representative Ethan Cha for ensuring the MN Asian Pacific - MAP Caucus had an opportunity to sit down with Administration officials. And thanks to Senator Foung Hawj and Representative Kaohly Vang Her for presenting remarks on behalf of our MAP Caucus! And of course, thanks to our amazing House & Senate staff for all of their support for this event!

🌈🦄Grateful to be able to close out this weekend with Mayor Melvin Carter, our City Council, and staff at so everyone knows that they’re always welcome in ! 🫧

✨What an honor it was to open the Annual 42nd Hmong International Freedom Festival with President Mee Vang’s board and my colleagues Minnesota Senate DFL Majority Leader Erin Murphy, State Representative Ethan Cha, Chair Fue Lee, and members of the Biden-Harris Administration, Erika Moritsugu, Krystal Ka’ai, and Kota Mizutani.

🥹This is the BEST ! Good luck this weekend Suni! 💕✨

🏆Another example of how Saint Paul Public Schools SPPS turns out amazing Champions!

Good luck to former Battle Creek Elementary School student Suni Lee in the U.S. Gymnastics Trials this week in Minneapolis! Suni told her gym teacher, Mr. Richards (who took this photo) that she'd win gold in The Olympics, and she did!

🔑💰🔨This is the LAST WEEK to apply for small businesses to apply for support through the MN Promise Act. Find more information here: MNPromiseAct.org

Thanks to the leadership of Chairs Jay Xiong and Representative Hodan Hassan, grants and loans to small businesses will keep investments in our communities across the metro!

MN Promise Act Providing Resources & Opportunity & Maximizing Investments in Striving Entrepreneurs (PROMISE)

Happy ! Last month, I was honored to host students from a local citizenship class on the House floor. I was so inspired to hear their hopes and dreams of becoming new Americans!

ST. PAUL, MN – Today marks the second year since Minnesotans joined a growing number of states in recognizing June 19th as a state holiday. This significant day commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, marking the date in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas finally received word of their freedom.

The Minnesota House People of Color and Indigenous Caucus released the following statement:

“Juneteenth is a vital reminder of the ongoing struggle for racial equality. While this day marks a significant moment in American history, it also serves as a call to action to continue working toward a more just and equitable future for Black Minnesotans.

We extend a heartfelt thank you to Senator Bobby Joe Champion and former Representative Ruth Richardson for their tireless efforts in carrying the Juneteenth State Holiday Bill through the 2023 legislative session. Their dedication has ensured this important day will be permanently recognized in Minnesota.

Recognizing Juneteenth is just one step on the path toward racial equity. The House POCI Caucus will continue advocating for legislation that directly addresses the systemic issues facing Black communities in Minnesota. This demands advocacy for legislation that promotes economic empowerment, educational equity, and criminal justice reform, and more.

Juneteenth is a day to celebrate freedom, but it is also a day to recommit ourselves to building a future where Black Minnesotans have the opportunity to not only thrive but to seek true liberation, free from racial disparities and systemic barriers.

We encourage Minnesotans to participate in Juneteenth celebrations, engage in open conversations about racial justice, and support policies that empower Black communities to thrive."

What a joy it was to celebrate the many accomplishments and contributions of scholar and statesman Dr. Yang Dao. It was a privilege for me and our MAP Caucus to recognize someone who is truly a compassionate leader. Thank you for leading in your own way, gifting our Hmong community a legacy with reverberations for decades to come!

🩺Grateful to Dr. Se for inviting me to her 4th annual Eastside Health fair! It’s so important that we have providers of color committed to serving our community here. Got to meet some of our neighbors and answer questions too!