We are making fantastic progress vaccinating our entire state with over 3 million total doses and 56% of Minnesotans 16+ having received at least one dose. If you have waited to get vaccinated there is no better time than now! At the Minnesota State Fair Grounds they are accepting walk-in appointments for everyone who is eligible. If we want to have a state fair this summer, everyone who can get vaccinated should. Walk-ins are available through Tuesday, May 4. Click here for more information. There has also been good availability at the Community Vaccination Center at the Mall of America through the State Vaccine Connector. (This is how I was vaccinated and it’s very efficiently run.)
RealID
The Federal Government has announced that the RealID deadline has been pushed by 18 months until May of 2023. This will relieve some of the pressure on our local Driver and Vehicle Services offices, which have been overwhelmed with requests to renew expired drivers licenses and vehicle registration tabs. Simple vehicle tab renewals can be handled online in just a few minutes at the DVS website, so take advantage of that option if you can’t get an in-person appointment at a local Hennepin County Service Center. The County is adding personnel to help with the backlog of in-person appointments, but it will take them a while to train the new staff.
A new poll finds that many of the provisions within a voting rights bill congressional Democrats are looking to pass are widely popular with Americans — a sign that GOP outcry against the legislation has not worked.
The Pew Research Center survey found that “sizable majorities favor several policies aimed at making it easier for citizens to register and vote,” with 61 percent of voters supporting automatically registering eligible citizens to vote, 63 percet saying anyone should be able to vote absentee without an excuse, 70 percent supporting giving people their voting rights back after serving their felony sentences, and 78 percent supporting two weeks of in-person early voting.
All of those provisions are within the “For the People Act,” which House Democrats passed in March, and Senate Democrats are now rallying behind. Continue reading.
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — On Tuesday, April 27th, the Senate POCI Caucus sent a letter to Governor Walz and Legislative Leaders urging that the Public Safety and Judiciary conference committee begin it’s work immediately, that conferees be required to complete their work by the end of the week delivering the final bill that will be sent to the floor of both Houses by Monday, May 3rd, and be promptly sent to the Governor for his signature or veto. This is to ensure that these critical police reform decisions are given the time necessary to be discussed publicly and independently without being used as a bargaining chip in unrelated budget negotiations. The House POCI Caucus concurs with this call to action and released the following statement of support:
“In just two weeks since the killing of Daunte Wright, one week since the guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin, Senate Republicans are already sweeping police accountability under the rug. Our demands to transform our public safety and judicial system must not be ignored. Each day wasted is another day closer to another preventable tragedy. Governor Walz and the Legislative Leaders should not be fooled by the relative quiet. We are in the midst of a crisis, and our communities of color and Indigenous communities are demanding structural changes so we can live in a Minnesota where our lives are valued and protected. It is time that we learn from the loss of Daunte Wright, George Floyd, and countless others. We must pursue transformational police reform that will create a just Minnesota where everyone is treated fairly and safely.
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota House passed its Health and Human Services Budget aimed at building a better health system for Minnesotans after the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget strengthens our public health systems, addresses health inequities, makes prescription drugs more affordable, and expands coverage for low-income Minnesotans. The bill also includes needed investments in affordable child care for Minnesota families.
“This legislation builds a better health care system for Minnesotans, especially our public health care system which our entire state has relied upon throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL – Rochester), Chair of the House Health Finance & Policy Committee. “This budget expands important health care coverage in numerous areas and will strengthen health and wellbeing for children and families. The bill also reaches underserved populations and has solutions to reduce health inequities. These important investments will help more Minnesotans have a healthy future and better quality of life.”
During COVID-19, many Minnesotans found telehealth valuable, and the budget expands and enhances these emerging services. As more Minnesotans worry about the future of affordable health care – even those who have coverage through their employer – the budget will launch a study of a MinnesotaCare public option. Furthermore, as Republicans continue to attack the Affordable Care Act in court leaving the future of its critical protection’s uncertain, the budget codifies important ACA provisions – like those protecting people with preexisting conditions – into state law. The bill also eliminates the “family glitch,” a problem occurring when an individual is ineligible for MinnesotaCare because they have access to employer coverage through a family member, even though the coverage is unaffordable.
This has been a challenging and emotional couple of weeks. I hope you’ve been able to set aside time for yourself and are taking a moment to check in on loved ones. In spite of – and because of – these tumultuous times, I am more committed than ever in my role as your state representative to help bridge divides and get us on a path forward together.
As you know, we’ve been working diligently on developing a balanced two-year state budget. In the House, we’re focused on pandemic recovery for our families and small businesses, and ensuring all areas of the budget deliver opportunity for every Minnesotan to thrive.
So far, we’ve passed budget bills for the following areas:
Democrats say the bill doesn’t do enough to address police accountability.
The Republican-controlled Senate has passed a public safety omnibus bill without police reform measures.
The public safety and judiciary funding bill that cleared the Senate on a 44-23 vote Thursday includes money for the court system, prisons and makes changes to sexual assault laws, including closing the “voluntary intoxication” loophole that was highlighted by a recent state Supreme Court decision.
“Senate Republicans are committed to keeping Minnesotans safe and fully funding our public safety institutions,” Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, said in a statement. “This bill provides justice to victims and protects Minnesotans. I understand that Minnesota is in the spotlight. Last summer we passed several major reforms to police accountability, and we will look at additional reforms this session. Continue reading.
Following the death of Daunte Wright, Senate Majority Leader Gazelka committed to holding hearings on police reform proposals then he changed his mind.
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Following the death of Daunte Wright, who was fatally shot by a police officer in Brooklyn Center, it was widely reported that Senate Majority Leader Gazelka was “committed to having hearings” on police reform. On Friday, Gazelka walked back this commitment, refusing to hold hearings on meaningful reform, instead, standing in the way of progress while Black Minnesotans suffer tragic outcomes at the hands of police officers.
Senator Ron Latz (DFL-Saint Louis Park), ranking DFL Lead on the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee releases the following statement in regards to the police reform hearings that Senate Republicans have promised to hold this session:
“Yesterday, the POST Board voted in favor of banning officers from serving who belong to extremist organizations including those groups espousing white supremacy. An amendment to do just that was defeated by Senate Republicans when offered to the Judiciary bill. Senate Republicans said they condemn white supremacists but wouldn’t vote to do so. Hate groups don’t get a say in our state. We must keep moving forward to enact reforms like the Minnesota POST Board did.
“Sen. Gazelka has now walked back on his promise to our citizens. Pushing the issue into a conference committee is a cop out: it will have limited participation and essentially cuts out a large contingent of Senators who deserve to be heard on these issues. Nevertheless, I continue to be ready to do the work we are elected to do and will do so in the conference committee as well.”
These last few weeks have been hectic for Minnesota. We have been in national and global news for all the wrong reasons with the killing of Daunte Wright, and just miles away the Chauvin trial was taking place. The guilty verdict in the trial is only the first step on the way to justice. While more will be decided in the courts, many of the next steps for true, meaningful change can be taken by us. We must continue to call out systemic racism when we see it, and not stop until all Minnesotans feel safe in our communities – no matter what they look like or where they live.
In the Minnesota House, we put forward strong, common-sense reforms last summer in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and while some were passed into law, we’re continuing to fight for public safety reforms to hold bad actors accountable and build a better system where Black lives matter.
Today we hear our final budget proposal, the Health and Human Services bill. Here’s an update on our work.
Public Safety for ALL Minnesotans
Late Thursday night, we finished a lengthy debate on our Public Safety, Judiciary, and Civil Law Budget, which contains many of the sorely-needed reforms and measures being championed by our communities of color. I am proud to support the measures in this bill, including:
Allowing local governments to establish civilian oversight councils
Enhancing training and requiring the development of new model policies
Supporting community organizations working to prevent crime
Issuing body cameras and prohibiting altering, destroying, or withholding the footage
Prohibiting white supremacists from become police officers
Limiting the use of no-knock warrants
Strengthening the police officer misconduct database and building a more effective early warning system to identify bad officers and keep them off the streets
Limiting police officers’ authority to stop or detain drivers for certain violations
Despite efforts from DFL Senators and encouragement from the House DFL Caucus, the Senate majority has refused to hold a single hearing on police accountability measures this session. It’s safe to say the proposals we passed in the House face an uphill battle in negotiations with the Senate, but we can’t give up on an issue this important just because others are blocking the path to change.
The bill also includes a series of major updates to Minnesota’s criminal sexual conduct code as recommended by a survivor-led working group to address old approaches to these crimes which create barriers for survivors to receive justice. One such example closes the “voluntary intoxication” statutory loophole, which a recent Minnesota Supreme Court decision was forced to accept when prosecuting a sexual assault case where the law deemed “mentally incapacitated” to not include a person who became intoxicated after voluntarily consuming alcohol. It also prevents sexual extortion and includes a series of measures to protect children. I heard from a number of constituents on this topic and I am glad to say that I have signed on as a co-author in support of these updated provisions.
Our Budget Proposals
We’ve spent the past week passing other components of our House DFL Budget proposals, with more being debated on the House floor today. So far, in addition to the Public Safety, Judiciary, and Civil Law Budget, we’ve passed the following bills:
I’ve been working with my colleagues on all of these bills, but a good amount of my focus has been on the Commerce Budget, as I serve as the vice chair of the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee. I spoke to the importance of this bill on the House floor, which you can watch below.
As we make our way out of this pandemic and help Minnesotans build back better, our budget takes steps to ensure consumers and businesses are protected from those who would seek to take advantage of them during these trying times. Three of my provisions I was proud to author in this bill include one that would limit the fees that third-party delivery platforms can charge restaurants and prohibits those platforms from decreasing compensation paid to delivery service drivers. I also authored the portion of the bill that invests $300,000 in the Minnesota State Council on Economic Education, which advances professional development programs in economics for K-12 teachers, and the section on Toxic Toys which allows for the Commerce Department to have additional regulatory enforcement on manufacturers who make unsafe cribs or toys that contain formaldehyde or BPA.
Rent Assistance Now Available
For renters and housing providers continuing to struggle during these challenging economic times, new funds are now available to provide assistance. RentHelpMN has opened for applications, making it possible for low- and moderate-income renters to get caught up on overdue rent and utilities dating back to March 13, 2020. It also makes provisions for those at risk of falling behind on rent payments due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We’re in for a wild ride through the end of session, with some days containing 12+ hours of debate on the House floor. This will likely calm down for a bit after this week as we enter negotiations with the Senate, but they’ll pick up again as we come together to pass our final budget bills before adjourning on May 17.
As we’ve done all session, much of our work continues to be done remotely which means I am able to be present for storytime with the fam during breaks. I’m wholeheartedly supporting our House budget because it contains proposals that better ensure all Minnesotans can gather at the end of the day in a home they can afford, in a community where they feel safe, with the economic security to be there for their family, and for children to have access to high quality education from cradle to career.
If you have any questions about the bills we’re passing off the House floor this week, please feel free to reach out to me. The best way to touch base is through email (rep.carlie.kotyza-witthuhn@house.mn) or phone (651/296-7449). I appreciate hearing from you.
This week the Senate continued to pass budget bills. Last week, the Senate passed the Judiciary and Public Safety omnibus – the committee on which I serve as the ranking DFL member. The committee was given a $90 million target, which allows for some investments in the state’s court and corrections system, and in some public safety requests. Of the target, $20 million was reserved for disaster assistance for our local communities.
The bill, however, is a stark portrait of what the Senate Majority’s priorities aren’t; the bill contains no policing and criminal justice reform, no expansion of proven justice programs, and little in the way of reducing the intersectional causes behind crime and recidivism.
