Proudly serving Senate District 18, including the cities of: St. Peter, Nicollet, Courtland, Mankato, North Mankato, Eagle Lake, Kasota, Lafayette, and rural Nicollet County. 

Hello citizens of SD18, and happy Friday! It’s hard to believe two more weeks have already blown past us since the last newsletter. We are continuing to move at an incredibly productive pace in the legislature, and time is really flying! We spent the last two weeks passing bills that have been in the works for years - and in one case, decades - as well as meeting with stakeholders and constituents on the issues that matter most to them. 

I wanted to start the newsletter this week with sincere and heartfelt gratitude for everyone who attended our joint town hall last Saturday with Representative Luke Frederick and Representative Jeff Brand. It was undoubtedly the most packed town hall I have ever been a part of, and everyone carried themselves with an air of dignity and respect. Viewpoints were represented with passion, and in just an hour we were able to cover a lot of ground and discuss many important policy issues. It’s always my true pleasure to interface with the community in such a personal and direct way - let’s do it again sometime soon!

On the Floor

Last week, we spent most of each floor session confirming the appointment of various Commissioners to their state departments. State Commissioners handle a lot of important work for each department; we confirmed Grace Arnold as the Commissioner of the Department of Commerce, Tarek Tomes to the Office of MN.IT Services, Willie Jett II to the Department of Education, Dennis Olson to the Department of Higher Education, and Nichole Blissenbach to the Department of Labor and Industry. The Governor and his office appoint commissioners, but those appointments must be confirmed and ratified by the Minnesota Senate. Moving swiftly on these confirmations allows these Commissioners to begin their vital work for the entire state of Minnesota, and demonstrates a renewed sense of efficiency and getting things done in the Senate. Government gridlock is no longer an option, and I am excited to continue moving through these confirmations for the betterment of ALL Minnesotans.

This past Tuesday, the Senate passed the Drivers Licenses for All bill, which aims to make licenses more accessible for Minnesota residents. The bill allows people without full resident documentation to obtain driver's licenses. This will improve public safety by requiring all drivers to pass the required tests and reducing the number of unlicensed drivers in Minnesota. Drivers Licenses for All has received a lot of support - the bill has the endorsement of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the agriculture industry at large, and more. I was a proud co-author of the bill for these reasons and many more. You can view my closing comments from the floor debate here. This bill will go a long way toward making our roads and our state a safer place, and the Governor is expected to sign it into law very soon.

The Restore the Vote bill also passed through the senate on Tuesday of this week. This bill ensures that individuals convicted of a felony have the right to vote immediately after their release from prison. Felons who have been released from prison are taxpayers and members of their communities, and they should have their right to vote restored. This bill will restore the voting rights of an estimated 55,000 Minnesotans. Once signed by Governor Walz, Minnesota will join 21 other states who have already taken this step to help reintegrate felons into their communities and civic life.

In Committee

Over the last two weeks in the Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate Committee, we moved forward on several important bills. A critical bill for the state that we passed is SF1622 - a bill which will allow Minnesota to access federal funding for clean energy infrastructure and project investments. Through the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the federal government has made a lot of grants available for investments that will modernize and electrify our energy grid. This is a goal for us to pursue in our quest for 100% carbon neutrality by 2040, and with the emerging technologies that these funds will help us access, I am more than confident it will help us get there. Minnesota is a net contributor to the federal government regarding our tax base - we give more money than we receive. When investments like this are available for us to take advantage of, we must move swiftly. You can view the hearing where we heard testimony from a wide range of stakeholders and advocates on how this money could help them and Minnesota at large here.

Write In

Did you miss the town hall last Saturday? Did you attend, and have more you would like to communicate? Whatever the case is, we still look forward to hearing from you! We’ve been receiving a high volume of constituent mail, email, and phone calls this session so far, and my staff and I encourage you to keep it up! We track your sentiment closely and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the issues discussed in this newsletter and beyond - it’s essential to me as your Senator that I can represent the will of the constituency effectively. I hope you’ve been able to dig out of the snowfall from this past week and are staying safe and warm. Take care, and have an excellent weekend!

Nick A. Frentz

Assistant Majority Leader

Minnesota Senate, District 18

SD18 In the News

Historic Preservationists To Gather In Mankato

St Peter Set To Get Its First Brewery In Spring

Mankato Streets Reopen Following Roof Collapse