Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Kate Fetter, who worked in partnership with her peers to put together a Fight Back Against Fentanyl PSA.

Kate is from Cottage Grove, Minnesota. She has proven her commitment to combating the opioid crisis through her advocacy and work with the Devin Norring Foundation. The Devin Norring Foundation was established to honor Devin's legacy and raise awareness about the dangers of illicit drugs and fentanyl.

On April 4, 2020, Devin passed away from fentanyl poisoning. He was seeking relief from blackout migraines and dental pain. He bought what he thought was Percocet marketed by a drug dealer on Snapchat. That pill turned out to be 100 percent fentanyl.

Devin was 19 years old.

The Devin Norring Foundation, in partnership with Kate, produced an impactful and heartfelt PSA to fight back against fentanyl. In turning grief into activism, Kate has shown strength and courage beyond her years. I am proud to have her as a constituent and an ally in this fight against the fentanyl crisis.

I thank Kate for demonstrating a commitment to combating the opioid crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Caden Norring, who worked in partnership with his peers to put together a Fight Back Against Fentanyl PSA.

Caden is from Hastings, Minnesota. His brother, Devin, was an honors student who loved playing football, making music and skateboarding.

On April 4, 2020, Caden and his family lost Devin to fentanyl poisoning. He was seeking relief from blackout migraines and dental pain. He bought what he thought was Percocet marketed by a drug dealer on Snapchat. That pill turned out to be 100 percent fentanyl.

Devin was 19 years old.

The Devin Norring Foundation, in partnership with Caden, produced an impactful and heartfelt PSA to fight back against fentanyl. In turning his grief into activism, Caden has shown strength and courage beyond his years. I am proud to have him as a constituent and an ally in this fight against the fentanyl crisis.

I thank Caden for sharing Devin's story and demonstrating a commitment to combating the opioid crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Hayley Norring, who worked in partnership with her peers to put together a Fight Back Against Fentanyl PSA.

Hayley is from Hastings, Minnesota. Her brother, Devin, was an honors student who loved playing football, making music and skateboarding.

On April 4, 2020, Hayley and her family lost Devin to fentanyl poisoning. He was seeking relief from blackout migraines and dental pain. He bought what he thought was Percocet marketed by a drug dealer on Snapchat. That pill turned out to be 100 percent fentanyl.

Devin was 19 years old.

The Devin Norring Foundation, in partnership with Hayley, produced an impactful and heartfelt PSA to fight back against fentanyl. In turning her grief into activism, Hayley has shown strength and courage beyond her years. I am proud to have her as a constituent and an ally in this fight against the fentanyl crisis.

I thank Hayley for sharing Devin's story and demonstrating a commitment to combating the opioid crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Brooke Severson, who worked in partnership with her peers to put together a Fight Back Against Fentanyl PSA.

Brooke is from Cottage Grove, Minnesota. She has proven her commitment to combating the opioid crisis through her advocacy and work with the Devin Norring Foundation. The Devin Norring Foundation was established to honor Devin's legacy and raise awarenessy about the dangers of illicit drugs and fentanyl.

On April 4, 2020, Devin passed away from fentanyl poisoning. He was seeking relief from blackout migraines and dental pain. He bought what he thought was Percocet marketed by a drug dealer on Snapchat. That pill turned out to be 100 percent fentanyl.

Devin was 19 years old.

The Devin Norring Foundation, in partnership with Brooke, produced an impactful and heartfelt PSA to fight back against fentanyl. In turning grief into activism, Brooke has shown strength and courage beyond her years. I am proud to have her as a constituent and an ally in this fight against the fentanyl crisis.

I thank Brooke for demonstrating a commitment to combating the opioid crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Natalia Shevtsova, who worked in partnership with her peers to put together a Fight Back Against Fentanyl PSA.

Natalia is from St. Paul, Minnesota. Her sister, Anastasia, loved playing the piano, singing, painting and drawing.

On April 20, 2022, Natalia lost her sister, Anastasia, to fentanyl poisoning. She purchased what she thought was Percocet marketed by a dealer. Those pills turned out to contain fentanyl.

Anastasia was 15 years old.

The Devin Norring Foundation, in partnership with Natalia, produced an impactful and heartfelt PSA to fight back against fentanyl. In turning her grief into activism, Natalia has shown strength and courage beyond her years. I am proud to have her as an ally in this fight against the fentanyl crisis.

I thank Natalia for sharing Anastasia's story and demonstrating a commitment to combating the opioid crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Natalia Rustand, who

worked in partnership with her peers to put together a Fight Back Against Fentanyl PSA.

Natalia is from St. Paul Park, Minnesota. She has proven her commitment to combating the opioid crisis through her advocacy and work with the Devin Norring Foundation. The Devin Norring Foundation was established to honor Devin's legacy and raise awareness about the dangers of illicit drugs and fentanyl.

On April 4, 2020, Devin passed away from fentanyl poisoning. He was seeking relief from blackout migraines and dental pain. He bought what he thought was Percocet marketed by a drug dealer on Snapchat. That pill turned out to be 100 percent fentanyl.

Devin was 19 years old.

The Devin Norring Foundation, in partnership with Natalia, produced an impactful and heartfelt PSA to fight back against fentanyl. In turning grief into activism, Natalia has shown strength and courage beyond her years. I am proud to have her as a constituent and an ally in this fight against the fentanyl crisis.

I thank Natalia for demonstrating a commitment to combating the opioid crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the passage of my bipartisan bill to cut back on wasteful government spending, the LIVE Beneficiaries Act.

My bill, with my colleague, Representative Gus Bilirakis, passed the House with unanimous bipartisan support this week. That level of support speaks to just how much sense this bill makes.

It requires Medicaid to check the death records each quarter, so they stop paying benefits to deceased enrollees sooner. Between 2009 and 2019, more than $249 million in these improper payments were made across 14 States, $3.7 million in my State of Minnesota.

It is a commonsense bill in a town where more common sense is needed.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their support.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Major Randell Voas of Lakeville, Minnesota. Maj. Voas tragically lost his life on April 9, 2010, in an aircraft crash during a combat mission in Afghanistan. Though he lost his life that day, his heroic actions and flying skills helped save the lives of sixteen other passengers on board the aircraft.

Maj. Voas was a man of honor and integrity, serving our country in the United States Army and Air Force for nearly twenty years before his death. During that time, he served in Germany, Korea, England, Iraq, and Afghanistan. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Major Voas participated in the largest airdrop operation since Vietnam, earning a Cheney Award for his exemplary conduct during the mission.

Maj. Voas' military career was one of remarkable service and immense sacrifice. In May of this year, the Air Force Special Operations Command honored that sacrifice by presenting his family with a Distinguished Flying Cross in honor of his extraordinary aerial skill in saving the lives of sixteen other souls on board his aircraft.

I want to both congratulate, and offer my deepest condolences to Maj. Voas's wife, Jill, his children Maddeline and Mitchell, and the rest of his family on this posthumous recognition of Maj. Voas's service to our country. May his memory be a blessing to them all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Colonel Jacob Helgestad, who recently passed away after a valiant battle with cancer.

Col. Helgestad was born and raised in Lonsdale, Minnesota. He attended New Prague High School where he played football, hockey, and baseball. His life of service started earlier than most--before he even graduated high school, he joined the National Guard as a private. He continued to serve in the National Guard while he attended college at Mankato State University, where he met his wife, Karry.

In 2001, Col. Helgestad deployed to Saudi Arabia as an enlisted chemical reconnaissance specialist. A few months later, in the wake of the tragic events of 9/11, he made the selfless choice to dedicate his life to serving our country. He attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in Ft. Benning, Georgia. He was then deployed to Kosovo and later Iraq as a company executive officer of an infantry company in the Al Anbar province where he spent two years leading the soldiers of Charly Company in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

For his final deployment, Col. Helgestad served as the Battalion Commander of the 1-194 Armor Regiment. He led a historic deployment for Operation Spartan Shield based out of Camp Buehring, Kuwait. Under his leadership, 425 soldiers participated in the evacuation of Kabul, Afghanistan in August 2021 by securing vital sectors of Hamid Karzai International Airport and providing humanitarian assistance. His battalion was awarded the Army Presidential Unit Citation, the U.S. military's highest unit award, for their work. Col. Helgestad's life and career were characterized by great personal sacrifice and exemplary service. He represented the best that this country has to offer.

I offer my deepest condolences to Col. Helgestad's family--his wife, Karry, and his two children, Lucy and Sam. And I thank him and his family for their service and dedication to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Tom Haag, my close, personal friend and Chairman of the National Corn Growers Association.

Tom has served on the National Corn Growers Association board since 2016 and has led NCGA on the executive leadership team since 2021. Before NCGA, he was a longtime member of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, serving as its President from 2012 to 2013. Tom is also a fourth-generation family farmer in Eden Valley, Minnesota, growing over 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans with his son Nathan.

I am thankful to have had a strong working relationship with Tom throughout his time at NCGA. During his long career working on behalf of Minnesota corn farmers, Tom has been a strong leader and advocate for expanding opportunities for Minnesota's biofuel producers and refiners. Thanks to the hard work of people like Tom, Minnesota became the first state to require biodiesel in our diesel fuel blends in 2018.

In Congress, I am proud to be a co-chair of the bipartisan House Biofuels Caucus and a strong advocate for renewable biofuels. In particular, I have urged the EPA to consider how biofuels can address climate change and improve emissions standards. Minnesota-grown biofuels are critical tools that we have at our disposal right now to help address climate change and stimulate Minnesota's economy, thanks to leaders, and farmers, like Tom.

I'm grateful for our partnership, and I thank Tom, known as ``The Legend,'' for his tireless advocacy on behalf of Minnesota family farmers and corn farmers across our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 175th anniversary of Dakota County, Minnesota. Dakota County was established as one of Minnesota Territory's original nine counties in 1849, and has played an important role in the history of Minnesota since the beginning. Even as the function and responsibilities of county government have changed over the past 175 years, Dakota County has remained one of the most important and influential counties in the state of Minnesota. It's now the third-largest county in the state and the largest in the Second Congressional District.

Indigenous people have been living in the land that is now known as Dakota County for many thousands of years. The lands of Dakota County were important for tribes to make use of the waterways for sustenance, transportation, and interaction with other tribes across the nation. The Bdote (confluence) of the two major rivers Misi zipi (Mississippi) and Mni sota (Minnesota) are also an important cultural location as the original birthplace of the Dakota people. By the time European settlers began making their way into Minnesota from the north and east, the Dakota and Ojibwe were the two main tribes, with the Kaposia band of Mdewakanton Dakota residing in this area, as well as Wahpekute and Sisseton groups nearby.

In 1851, Dakota leaders ceded millions of acres of land in Minnesota Territory to the U.S. government. This led to a marked increase in settlement in Dakota County. Dakota County was officially organized in 1853. The county seat was initially located at Kaposia (present-day South St. Paul) and then at Mendota before moving to Hastings in 1857, where it remains today.

Over the 175 years of its existence Dakota County has taken on many roles including providing public safety, keeping records, creating, maintaining, and repairing a system of county roads, assessing taxes, conducting elections, providing health care services addressing both the physical and mental health needs of its residents, operating a countywide library system and many popular county parks. Dakota County is regularly recognized on a national level for the high quality of its programs and services

I have been proud to partner with Dakota County on many important initiatives including the creation of the Veterans Memorial Greenway, and significant improvements to Interstate 35, as well as securing investments for the Dakota County Sheriff's Office with body worn cameras and their electronic crimes unit.

It is my honor and privilege to represent Dakota County. I congratulate the Dakota County government on the celebration of their 175th anniversary, and recognize them for their many contributions to local residents, the state of Minnesota, and the Nation as a whole.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank and congratulate Rebecca Buck on being a finalist for Education Minnesota's 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Rebecca has taught in District 191 for twelve years, being recognized as the 2020 recipient of the district's Spirit of Excellence Award, which honors employees who exemplify the best of what District 191 strives for. As an elementary school music teacher, she is an inspiration to her community and the students she works with. Her dedication and passion shine through the connections she makes with her students and their love for music.

Ms. Buck strives to practice and advocate for equitable, inclusive education, ensuring students in her class are represented in the curriculum and have opportunities to share their own cultures with classmates. This recognition by her peers and officials at Education Minnesota is supported by the immense appreciation for her contribution to public service in my district.

I am honored to recognize Rebecca Buck today as a model for meaningful educators, and I thank her for the work she is doing to create community in her classrooms.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank and congratulate Marie Hansen on being a finalist for Education Minnesota's 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Marie has taught at Burnsville High School for sixteen years, taking after her father who was a teacher and coach for 35 years. As a teacher of 11th grade AVID, 11th grade English, dual-enrollment courses with a local community college and 10th grade English, she is an inspiration to her community and the students she works with.

Ms. Hansen believes that her students are preparing to take the world by storm, and lead with humor, warmth and curiosity as they grow into our nation's next generation of leaders. This recognition by her peers and officials at Education Minnesota is supported by the immense appreciation for her contribution to public service in my district.

I am honored to recognize Marie Hansen today as a model for meaningful educators, and I thank her for the work she is doing to create community in her classrooms.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today nearly 3 months since Burnsville lost Police Officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand and Firefighter- Paramedic Adam Finseth in the line of duty.

They answered a domestic call early one Sunday morning, where seven children were being held inside a home by an armed gunman. A tactical vehicle from the city of Rosemount was a critical part of the emergency response that day.

Look at these photos beside me. Take a long look at these photos. Forty-one shots from a gunman's rifle hit this vehicle as officers from Rosemount and Apple Valley tried to help their brothers. We may have had even more injury and, God forbid, death that day without this vehicle.

It was 3 months ago when I stood on the House floor and pledged to honor Matthew, Paul, and Adam's lives by giving the first responders who keep our communities safe the support they need on the ground. That is why, today, I am introducing the Protect Local Law Enforcement Act, a bill that would allow local law enforcement to purchase vehicles like the one used in Burnsville with Federal funds, which is currently restricted by the Federal Government.

Law enforcement's multiple missions are harder and more dangerous than ever before. They are routinely put in harm's way. This National Police Week, let's honor them by protecting them.

Mr. Speaker, this bill will save lives, and I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my constituent, Barb Hedstrom, as the recipient of the Congressional Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus' 2024 Ed Stout Memorial Award for Outstanding Victim Advocacy. Barb Hedstrom serves as Shakopee Police Department's Victim and Community Services Coordinator.

This award's honoree is a professional, volunteer or organization whose efforts directly benefit victims and survivors of crime. The award recognizes innovations in victim assistance and crime victim services in the areas of program development, public or agency policy development, community and public awareness, and collaboration among community and justice-based organizations that serve crime victims.

Barb is exactly that. The Shakopee Police Department was the first police department in Minnesota to have a Victim Services Coordinator. In 2015, Barb worked with her colleagues to launch the Recovery Assistance Program (RAP), which helps those in recovery by providing scholarships to help break down barriers to treatment. Barb recently started the Law Enforcement Association of Victim Essential Services (LEAVES), which is a statewide professional association of law enforcement-based victim service providers. Due largely to Barb's work, the Shakopee Police Department has been a leader in the State of Minnesota and across the country for victims' services for nearly a decade and has made victim services a top priority.

It is an honor to represent Barb Hedstrom and the Shakopee Police Department in Congress. I look forward to our continued partnership in serving the Second District of Minnesota.