Matt Norris, Minnesota House 32B: 'Look at what I've done'

By Steve Share, Minneapolis Labor Review editor

BLAINE — “I always tell the voters, don’t rely on what I say. Look at what I’ve done,” says Matt Norris.

Norris is running for a second term for the House District 32B seat in Blaine and Lexington with the endorsement of the Minnesota AFL-CIO. He also is DFL-endorsed.

And what a first term! “The past two years at the State Capitol have been perhaps the best in history for labor when you look at the legislation that was passed,” Norris says.

Norris takes credit for passing 34 bills — 24 in the first year, 10 the second year — where he was the chief author, either for a stand-alone bill or for a bill that later was included in an omnibus bill.

He highlighted three. “First and foremost,” he reports,  he authored the bill to secure $103 million to fund rebuilding of Highway 65 in Blaine. “It will be a huge win for my district but in terms of labor, that’s going to be a lot of good-paying union jobs.”

Second, “we increased the general formula for our public schools and, importantly, we bench-marked it to inflation.” Already this win is leading to pay increases for educators at the bargaining table, he notes.

Third, “I authored the bill that renewed the funding for the Helmets to Hardhats program,” he says, which helps veterans move into a career in the building trades.

In his first term, Norris received a 100 percent score from the Minnesota AFL-CIO on working families issues.

In a second term, Norris says, his focus will be, “how do we make life more affordable for Minnesotans? I’ve been talking about the three cares: child care, health care, and senior care. If we can focus on trying to reduce the cost of these items, it leaves more money for gas, groceries, and everything else.”

Norris grew up in the northern suburbs, graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in business and earning his law degree there in 2014.

Website:
votefornorris.com