Ann Johnson Stewart

Economy

Every dollar the state spends on bonding goes straight to the local businesses, employees, gas stations, material suppliers, and manufacturers. Every dollar the state spends on bonding goes to improve our housing, water, education, transportation, and community infrastructure. Learn more

My passion is for providing jobs in the construction industry, where pay and benefits are high, the work is rewarding, and companies are incentivized to find minority and female workers by the federal and state governments that fund their projects. Learn more

Education

Minnesota is one of the worst states in the country for educational achievement gaps, with major disparities in academic performance and educational attainment on a group level between white students and students from minority communities, as well as between students from higher-income and lower-income households. We need to change this harmful reality by increasing our investment in all school districts, but especially districts that have historically been even more underfunded due to their lower property tax base. Solutions should include increasing teacher pay, expanding early childhood education and English-learner programs statewide, passing legislation like the 2020 Increase Teachers of Color Act, requiring implicit bias training for teachers and administrators, helping districts hire more student support staff, and more. Learn more

Our schools are incredibly underfunded in Minnesota, and this can’t continue. We must invest heavily in our public education system, from pre-K through high school, and ensure that our kids are taught by the most qualified educators by protecting teachers’ collective bargaining rights and supporting a strong licensure process. Learn more

Environment / Energy

I support restricting copper, nickel, and sulfide mining. Our garages and closets are filled with old cell phones, computers and screens. This tech waste is rich in valuable metals, and I will work to make Minnesota a leader in tech recycling and job creation. We have many local experts working on this already and can leverage federal funds to do even more. Learn more

We can improve the legislation to protect Minnesota’s environment and natural heritage. Before permits to expand mining are approved, we must place the financial responsibility on mine owners to ensure safe operations and require adequate “financial assurance” to repair and restore any damage they cause. This is a common requirement in construction, and I am anxious to pick up where I left off in requiring it on all future mining projects. Learn more

We can help homeowners who want to move towards clean energy at an individual level. I believe in providing incentives for all homeowners to install solar panels on their homes – my home has a 36-panel solar array that will pay for itself in just nine years. Incentives and financing options should be available to everyone whose homes present conditions favorable to installing solar panels and who is interested in doing so. I will work to expand the number of electric vehicle charging stations across the state in response to the need we will see in the next decade. Learn more

My main concern has been with the number of Minnesotans without access to affordable, clean drinking water. Clean water is something we take for granted, and before I was elected, I had no idea that so many communities had needs for new wells, pipes, or treatment systems. Learn more

Government policy can have an immensely positive impact on the environment, and as your Senator, I will work with industry, policy makers and my colleagues to address the threat of climate change, improve the health of the environment, and move us to a carbon-free future. Learn more

Guns

I’m not interested in taking guns away from responsible and law-abiding individuals. I am interested in keeping our children safe at school. Learn more

Healthcare

Everyone should have health insurance, regardless of where and if they work, and everyone should have access to quality healthcare, regardless of where they live. Nobody should have to avoid the doctor’s office or hospital because they can’t afford it. Because of these beliefs, I support Senator John Marty’s Minnesota Health Plan, a single, statewide plan that would cover all Minnesotans for all their medical needs. Learn more

Keeping rural clinics and hospitals open not only provides access to healthcare for rural communities but also supports high-paying and reliable jobs in those communities. Nobody should have to drive for an hour just to deliver their baby, and vulnerable patients with health issues should not be put at risk because of long travel distances to receive care. This is especially true in our state, where bad weather can make long-distance travel impossible. Learn more

Infrastructure / Transportation

I support the installation of broadband internet service for all Minnesotans. Fourteen percent of Minnesota is underserved, and nine percent of Minnesota has no broadband access. Even in areas where broadband exists, wired coverage is not always good: over 600,000 Minnesotans have access to only one wired provider, leaving them no options to switch. I often hear complaints from my friends and neighbors in the western suburbs about their wired services, and they live in an area where they would expect to have options. They don’t. The opportunity to leverage federal dollars to provide broadband for all Minnesotans is significant, and we cannot waste it. Learn more

More specifically, I support continued and increased funding for the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant program. Providing broadband access to all provides equity in information access for those who live in rural counties, and the cost and effort required to install broadband would provide jobs in the counties that need them most. Learn more

We’ve ignored our roads and bridges for too long, and as the largest owner and funder of our infrastructure, the state government has a responsibility and opportunity to bring them back to a safe and acceptable condition, and the legislature must play a leading role in this work. We need a comprehensive plan, and now is the time to make sure that Minnesota makes use of every federal dollar available to make progress towards restoring safe and efficient civil infrastructure that serves us well into the future (see my friend and Transportation Alliance Executive Director Margaret Donahoe’s editorial on the need for a 10-year transportation plan here). Learn more

Since leaving the Senate, I continued to work with colleagues from the American Public Works Association, MN Infrastructure Alliance, American Society of Civil Engineers, and Raise the Grade Minnesota to create a framework for supporting both our state’s drinking water and wastewater systems. I enjoy this work very much and will continue to leverage my knowledge and professional relationships to find ways to support our water infrastructure. Learn more

We cannot just build our way out of congestion – instead, transit and innovative congestion management are the answers to reducing the hours commuters spend in traffic. There are efficient ways to reduce congestion that include both transit alternatives and new construction. Having a civil engineer like me in the Senate will help the legislature make smart decisions about where to direct transit and transportation funding. I will work to efficiently and effectively steer funding to address our traffic problems. Learn more

Social Services

I will fight to address accessibility issues and healthcare discrepancies. Learn more

Families need champions in the legislature to fix these problems. I’ll be a loud advocate in the Senate for the rights of those who have disabilities and their families. Learn more