Category: Minnesota Legislature

Minnesota House DFLers respond to Gun Owners Lobby Day

St. Paul, Minnesota — The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus is holding their annual lobby day at the Capitol today, standing with Republicans in opposition to reasonable gun violence prevention measures supported by a strong majority of Minnesotans. House DFLers introduced two measures to prevent gun violence — criminal background checks and extreme risk protection orders — in their Minnesota Values Agenda earlier this month.

“Minnesotans have been loud and clear that they want their legislators to address the epidemic of senseless gun violence in our communities,” said Speaker Melissa Hortman. “House DFLers are committed to common-sense solutions like criminal background checks on all gun sales and extreme risk protection orders to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.”

“Finally, we need to do what is right, regardless of those who say there’s nothing we can do to solve this problem or that more guns are somehow the answer,” said Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “Minnesotans deserve to be safe in their homes, their schools, their workplaces, and public spaces. There are reasonable, common-sense gun safety measures that we can work on to make our families, communities, and Minnesota safer.” Continue reading “Minnesota House DFLers respond to Gun Owners Lobby Day”

Equal Rights Amendment to Receive First Public Hearing

ST. PAUL – On Thursday, January 24 Representative Mary Kunesh-Podein will participate in the first public hearing of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) bill before the House Government Operations committee. If approved, the ERA bill (H.F. 13) would put an Equal Rights Amendment on the ballot in Minnesota in November of 2020 to amend the state constitution to read, “Equality under the law shall not be abridged or denied on account of gender.” If ratified, the amendment will take effect on January 1, 2021.

What: First hearing on Equal Rights Amendment Bill

Where: Senate basement hearing room

When: Thursday, January 24, at 9:45 a.m. Continue reading “Equal Rights Amendment to Receive First Public Hearing”

Home for All Coalition calls for boldest agenda in state history to address statewide housing crisis

Homes for All, a statewide coalition of more than 200 organizations advancing shared policy initiatives leading to housing stability for all Minnesotans is calling for the boldest agenda in state history to address Minnesota’s statewide housing crisis. The Homes for All Coalition unveiled their agenda today in Minnesota State House hearing and joined a strong and diverse group of supporters from across Minnesota at the State Capitol to push for action.

Advocates representing nonprofits, business, health care, education, and other sectors will come together Wednesday morning to share with lawmakers how housing impacts their world in the Capitol Press Conference Room (B971) at 11 a.m. Speakers include Rep. Michael Howard, Rep. Alice Hausman, Jordan May, Executive Director of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians Reservation, Jonathan Weinhagen, President and CEO of Minneapolis Regional Chamber and Fatima Moore, Co-Chair of the Homes for All policy team.

Homes for All is a statewide coalition advancing shared policy initiatives of more than 200 organizations that lead to housing stability for all Minnesotans. Visit our website for more information:  www.homesforallmn.org.

House Education Committees Examine Mental Health Barriers in the Classroom

ST. PAUL, MN – Two House Education Committees held a joint hearing today to learn about the status of mental health services available to Minnesota students. Student support personnel, licensed mental health professionals, educators and advocates spoke about the mental health challenges students encounter inside and outside of the classroom.

“As I talk to educators around the state, student mental health concerns are on the top of everyone’s list of barriers to success and well-being,” said Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL-Minneapolis), Chair of the K-12 Education Finance Division. “Our responsibility as legislators and adults should be to break down barriers so students and families can thrive. Today’s hearing allows us to hear directly from a broad group of stakeholders with insights into challenges and potential solutions.”

Sue Abderholden, Executive Director of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) highlighted the urgency of addressing the mental health crisis among youth in schools due to a spike in suicide rates. Additional investments in student-linked mental health grants could contribute to lowering these statistics. Continue reading “House Education Committees Examine Mental Health Barriers in the Classroom”

House Transportation Committee Advances ‘Hands-Free’ Device Bill

ST. PAUL, MN – The House Transportation Policy & Finance Committee today held a public hearing about the ‘hands-free’ cell phone bill, HF 50, which aims to increase safety for drivers, passengers, bicyclists and pedestrians on Minnesota’s roads by requiring drivers to use their cell phones in a hands-free mode. Safety experts, advocates and family members of loved ones who were killed in distracted driving crashes provided public testimony about the proposal, which has strong bipartisan support. The bill passed out of committee.

Greg LaVallee, a distracted driving speaker for Just Drive, Inc. spoke at the committee on Tuesday. His son, Phil, was killed by a distracted driver while he was out for a run.

“The complacent attitude of our society towards cell phone use while driving is claiming 9 lives per day in the U.S.”, said Mr. LaVallee. “This is outrageous! Hands-Free legislation will help enforce the current texting ban and it is a step in the right direction to prevent crashes and save lives.” Continue reading “House Transportation Committee Advances ‘Hands-Free’ Device Bill”

House Transportation Chair Hornstein to Hold Hearing on ‘Hands Free’ Bill

Minnesota State Capitol

St. Paul, Minnesota — On Tuesday, January 22, the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee will hear HF 50, the bipartisan ‘hands free’ device legislation to prohibit the use of cellular phones and devices while driving, with the exception of hands free mode. Safety advocates, supporters, and family members who have lost loved ones due to distracted driving are expected to testify. Of those, Greg LaVallee, whose son was killed by a distracted driver while on a run, will be sharing his story.

WHO: Chair and Chief Author Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Minneapolis), committee members, safety advocates, Paul Aasen of the Minnesota Safety Council, Greg LaVallee, and other families who have lost loved ones due to distracted driving

WHAT: Committee hearing on HF 50, the ‘Hands Free’ device bill

WHEN: Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 12:45 p.m.

WHERE: Room 10, State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. St. Paul, Minn. 55155

 

Minnesota House DFLers Write to President Trump About His Federal Government Shutdown

Yesterday, members of the DFL House Majority sent a letter to President Trump respectfully requesting he re-open the government and end the shutdown.

Here’s a link to that document.

 

Senate DFL Week in Review: January 17, 2019

Session’s second week kicks off with press conferences, committee overviews

The second week of the 2019 session kicked off with a legislative press forum with Governor Walz and the four leaders from the Senate and House. There were also a number of press conferences on issues ranging from distracted driving, how the state is dealing with the federal shutdown, and legalizing recreational marijuana use.

Committees kicked into gear with a busy week of overviews and a few early bill hearings. Some of the topics under discussion this week include HHS fraud prevention investigations, disability waivers, energy storage, education budgets, a farm and agriculture overview, a hearing on disease affecting our deer population, prison sentencing modifications, and an overview on our November budget forecast.

Governor Walz and all four legislative caucuses expressed their commitment to pass some non-controversial bills early in the session, so legislative action is expected to ramp up in the coming weeks. Continue reading “Senate DFL Week in Review: January 17, 2019”

House and Senate Transportation Committee Chairs Introduce Bipartisan ‘Hands-Free’ Cell Phone Legislation

Minnesota State Capitol

St. Paul, MN – Sen. Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson) and Rep. Frank Hornstein (D-Minneapolis), chairmen of the Senate and House transportation committees, introduced bipartisan ‘hands-free’ cell phone legislation aimed to increase safety for drivers, passengers, bicyclists and pedestrians on Minnesota’s roads. The bills (S.F. 91 and H.F. number to be announced) would prohibit cell phone usage outside of one-touch communications, similar to laws already on the books in sixteen states and Washington D.C.

“The ‘hands-free’ bill isn’t about restricting liberties; it’s about public safety. We’re sending a message to drivers across Minnesota: get off your phone and focus on the road. Life depends on it,” said Senator Scott Newman. “When you operate a vehicle, you have a responsibility to yourself, your passengers, and the others on the road. This bipartisan measure will help reinforce just how dangerous distracted driving is.”

“Distracted driving fatalities are continually on the rise,” said Rep. Frank Hornstein. “Minnesotans deserve to be safe on our roadways. Requiring ‘Hands-free’ mode will deliver common sense safety measures to combat these preventable tragedies.” Continue reading “House and Senate Transportation Committee Chairs Introduce Bipartisan ‘Hands-Free’ Cell Phone Legislation”