Minnesota Legislature 10 , CD3 DFL

Rep. Kristin Bahner (HD34B) Update: May 25, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

I hope this finds you and your loved ones well. With vaccination rates steadily moving toward our 70% goal (MN 16+), COVID-19 restrictions loosening in our state, and summer just around the corner, a return to normal is something we all are undoubtedly looking forward to this year.

Even with regular session concluded, our work continues at the Legislature.

What got done?

House committees heard a record number of bills this session. We buckled down to hear bills from last session that may have withered on the vine due to the pandemic and key bills laser focused on issues related to the pandemic from healthcare and mental health to jobs and homelessness. On May 17^th, our last day of session, we were able to pass a large number of bills wrapped up in policy omnibus bills by subject. Essentially these policy bills included a bundle of bills that pertain to key functions of government, same or similar and non-controversial bills that passed both the House and Senate. Often the same and similar bills contain language that is almost a match but often has minor technical differences. Those issues were resolved, agreed upon, voted on in both chambers and are headed to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. As a fun example, the Health and Human services bill was 519 pages of policy agreed upon by both parties. A testament to what can be done when we work together.

House DFL Team: One Year Later

One year ago today George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. The guilty verdicts delivered earlier this spring are a step toward justice, but there is a long way to go to provide true public safety and justice for all.

Last year the Legislature, led by the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus, passed the Minnesota Police Accountability Act of 2020 which included a ban on chokeholds, use of force reforms, and mental health training amongst other critical reforms. This was a good first step, but more needs to be done.

No matter where we were born, how we pray, or what we look like, every Minnesotan deserves to make it home at the end of the day. George Floyd, Daunte Wright, and so many others should still be alive.

While we can’t bring George Floyd back, we can honor his memory by continuing the fight for justice and accountability.

Sen. Melisa Franzen (SD49) Update: Rescheduled Town Hall

RESCHEDULED: SD49 Town Hall
June 28, at 7:00 PM

May 24, 2021

Rescheduled: Senate District 49 Town Hall

Dear Constituents and Friends,

The Senate District 49 Town Hall in coordination with the League of Women Voters of Edina, has been rescheduled. It will now occur on Monday, June 28, at 7:00 PM. The Town Hall will occur on Zoom, and we will make sure it is live-streamed and posted on each legislator’s Facebook page for those unable to join us.

Rep. Heather Edelson (HD49A) Update: Town Hall Postponed

TOWN HALL POSTPONED: JUNE 28, 7 PM

Dear Neighbors,

Due to negotiations projected to go into the next two weeks and very few final deals being complete, we are postponing tonight’s Town Hall to Monday, June 28 at 7pm. This new date will ensure we are able to update the community on final end-of-session policy and budget decisions for all of Minnesota.

While the event will occur on Zoom, we will make sure it is live-streamed and posted on each legislator’s Facebook pages for those unable to join us. You can register for the event by clicking this link. Pre-submitted questions will be given priority and you will receive a link to the Zoom meeting a day before the event through the email you enter during registration.

Rep. Samantha Vang (HD40B) Update: May 24, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

Our regular session came to an end last Monday, however, our work for the year is far from over and we are headed towards a special session. Before the regular session ended leadership reached a major agreement on budget targets for this year. This will set the guardrails for the rest of our negotiations for the year. While there is a lot of good in this agreement, the Senate GOP refused to allow tax increases on the wealthiest Minnesotans (making over $1 million a year) meaning we are underfunding schools, housing, healthcare and so much more. We will continue to meet and negotiate in conference committees to iron out the more difficult policy details like police accountability and drivers licenses for all. Details on the overall budget agreement and what the special session will look like can be found here.

Cannabis Legalization

Two weeks ago we passed HF 600, a bill which legalizes and regulates adult-use cannabis in Minnesota, while expunging records of people convicted for nonviolent offenses involving cannabis.

I am proud of the bill we passed, it has come to fruition after years of hard work and careful planning. I know that by ending the prohibition on adult-use cannabis Minnesota will be able to heal the harm caused by prohibition. This bill takes into consideration the injustice caused by prohibition while ensuring that legalization will protect the health and safety of all Minnesotans.

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: May 21, 2021

May 21, 2021

Legislative Session Ends with Compromise on Budget

The 2021 legislative session ended on Monday with an agreement reached on spending for the next biennium. Policy details still need to be finalized for a special session, but there were some major wins for the people of Minnesota in the agreement:

Full conformity with the federal PPP loan tax exemption
Full conformity with the federal unemployment benefits tax exemption
Funding for our school budgets to keep pace with inflation

This agreement on spending is another sign that we can all work together for the good of Minnesotans.

Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: May 21, 2021

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I wanted to touch base and share some of the details as we move forward with the timeline previously shared regarding the deadlines to have our budget omnibus bills ready. To recap:

May 28th: Spreadsheet for omnibus bills done by 5pm.

June 4th: Language for omnibus bills prepared by this date.

June 14th: Expected day of special session being called to finish budget work.

Approaching that May 28th deadline next week, the actual budget numbers each committee is working with are listed below:

Senate DFL: Week in Review

Session ends with lots of work left to do
and everything happening in the Legislature this week.

Judiciary budget target received, time for Senate Republicans to come to the table

After initially receiving a $90 million target, $20 million of which was earmarked for the disaster assistance contingency account, DFLers fought to increase new spending for the Judiciary Committee and were able to raise the target to $105 million. This new funding, however, is expected to be stretched very thin, as our communities are demanding changes in our criminal justice and policing systems. Read more >>

Environment budget left in limbo, no progress in negotiations despite hearings

Though the Environment and Natural Resources conference committee met nine times – the House convening six hearings and the Senate three – in the final weeks of session, no progress was made towards working through the differences between the two versions of this year’s policy and budget omnibus bill. Senate Republicans maintained throughout that time that they couldn’t begin working on anything with a financial component to it, despite the many non-general fund financial components contained within the bill. Read more >>

Rep. Erin Koegel (HD37A) Update: May 21, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

Our regular session came to an end Monday, however, our work for the year is far from over and we are headed towards a special session. Before the regular session ended leadership reached a major agreement on budget targets for this year. This will set the guardrails for the rest of our negotiations for the year. With these targets we have the opportunity to make significant investments throughout the state that will benefit families, students, workers, and our local businesses. We will continue to meet and negotiate in conference committees to iron out the more difficult policy details. Details on the overall budget agreement and what the special session will look like can be found here.

Cannabis Legalization

Last week we passed HF 600, a bill which legalizes and regulates adult-use cannabis in Minnesota, while expunging records of people convicted for nonviolent offenses involving cannabis.

I am proud of the bill we passed. It has come to fruition after years of hard work and careful planning. I know that by ending the prohibition on adult-use cannabis Minnesota will be able to heal the harm caused by prohibition. This bill takes into consideration the injustice caused by prohibition while ensuring that legalization will protect the health and safety of all Minnesotans.

Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart (SD44) Update: May 21, 2021

Week-in-Review Video

A message from your Senator

Constituents and friends,

As required by the state Constitution, our regular legislative session ended on Monday at midnight, but we did not pass Minnesota’s biennial budget in time – so we expect to return for a special session in June to complete our work and pass a balanced budget before the government shutdown deadline of July 1.

The Governor and legislative leadership in both the Senate and House finally agreed to a broad framework for the $52 billion budget on Monday morning, which is an important step towards completion. The most entrenched disagreements were smoothed over to some degree by the infusion of $2.8 billion in American Rescue Plan funds from the federal government, allowing us to increase spending on education and social services (albeit not as much as I’d prefer to see) without new taxes, but significant policy differences remain between the Senate and House versions of each committee’s omnibus budget bill. The conference committees will continue their negotiations over the next few weeks in preparation for our return in June.

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Rescheduled: Senate District 49 Town Hall

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TOWN HALL POSTPONED: JUNE 28, 7 PM

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Cannabis Legalization

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Week-in-Review Video

A message from your Senator

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