Last November, I was honored to be elected by a majority of the voters of District 27B to my sixth term as state representative. Across Minnesota, voters elected a new majority of the Minnesota House of Representatives by electing 72 Republican members and 62 Democratic-Farmer-Labor members. This means my tenure as chair of the Agriculture Policy committee ended with the beginning of the new session. I do have the honor to continue to serve on the Agriculture Policy committee and have begun serving as the DFL Lead on Agriculture Finance. My other committee assignments include Capital Investment, Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance, and Ways and Means.

We are just a few weeks into the 2015 session and this year already has a very different feel. The Capitol renovations are in full swing. Minnesota truly has one of the most impressive State Capitol buildings in the United States. It was designed by Cass Gilbert, one of our country’s great pioneering architects.

The Capitol, built in 1905, is made of over 23 different types of stone including Minnesota granite, Minnesota limestone, and 16 kinds of marble from around the world. The famous towering dome is the second largest self-supported marble dome in the world.

But as special as the building is, it is long overdue for many upgrades. Although pipes would be fixed as old pipes burst, water damage largely remained. In recent years, chunks of plaster and stone fell off the Capitol. When construction was complete in 1905, women still were not granted the right to vote, let alone allowed to serve in the legislature. The original Capitol did not include women’s bathroom facilities. Over the years, women’s restrooms were added throughout the Capitol where they could find space. Rooms that now hold hearings and committee meetings open to the public were not originally designed with the public in mind. Additionally, the building needed many improvements to become fully accessible to those with disabilities.

With all of the needed improvements the Capitol construction is approaching its most drastic phase. Although the House and Senate chambers will be available for the 2015 session, two-thirds of the building is closed and under construction. After this term and going into 2016, restoration work will be done in each of the chambers where the House and Senate meet. It remains to be seen how the disruption of the Chamber remodeling will alter the 2016 legislative session. While it is difficult to get around now, the end product will be a restored historic Capitol more hospitable and accessible to the public.

Although the Capitol is going through a dramatic restoration, the State Office Building (where my office is located) is not being renovated. Please contact me if you would like to meet in St. Paul or in the district. I welcome your suggestions or comments on upcoming legislation. I can be reached by phone at (651) 296-4193, by mail at 291 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155, or via email at rep.jeanne.poppe@house.mn. For those who would like to receive my e-updates from the Capitol, sign up on my legislative webpage, http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/27b.