We have had tragedy strike Minnesota once more. Many words have been already been said and actions by many of our community members have been heartening as people have come together to support each other through everything that has happened.
The trial over George Floyd’s death will be coming to a close shortly as well. I know we all hope for justice and a peaceful resolution. With everything Minnesota has been through I hope we can come together to support each other, see justice done for the victims and a brighter future for us and our children. As I stated in my last Enews, while the state legislature made some movement last summer with the Police Accountability Act of 2020, that was only the beginning. It was the bare minimum of what everyone could agree to at the time and there is still so much work left to be done around public safety reform. We must work together to make critical, effective, and long-term structural changes so that every Minnesotan feels safe in their community and across the state—regardless of what they look like.”
The eyes of the world are on Minnesota as we face the killing of Daunte Wright. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones and all Minnesotans who are grieving his tragic death. We must find a way to navigate this difficult moment together.
Public safety reform has taken a central focus with renewed efforts to make positive change and safer communities across the state. As you may recall, the Legislature passed several bipartisan public safety reform measures last summer, with law enforcement stakeholders at the table. Some of the measures we passed with the Minnesota Senate include a tougher standard for when police can use deadly force, a ban on “warrior training” and choke holds, a duty to intercede, and expanded Autism training. I’m committed to continuing this work in partnership with our 33B residents and local police departments. Balancing the state budget and ensuring safe communities for all are my top priorities as we wind down the 2021 session.
Vaccine Update
It’s been a long, dreary week, but today we received the bright news that 50% of Minnesotans age 16 and older have gotten at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. As Minnesota waits for additional supply of vaccine, it’s critical we stay vigilant to keep each other safe. Every individual action we take now to protect public health will help our collective efforts to close this challenging and painful chapter of our global history.
Although the state is following federal guidance to take a pause on Johnson and Johnson vaccine administrations, we are still in good shape for getting Pfizer and Moderna shots into as many arms as possible. Anyone who currently has an appointment to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should watch for a notification from their provider about canceling, postponing, or rescheduling the appointment. If your appointment is cancelled, you can look for other vaccination appointments through the Vaccine Locator map, local pharmacies or your health care provider.
Yesterday on the House Floor we started the process of voting on the bills that comprise our new state budget. Here are some highlights from the legislation we approved yesterday and are considering today.
Legacy
In 2008, Minnesotans voted to adopt the Legacy Amendment, which increased sales taxes by three-eighths of one percent. The revenue this constitutional amendment generates is divided between four funds. Sixty-six percent of the revenue is split evenly between the Outdoor Heritage Fund and the Clean Water Fund, 19.75 percent goes to the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, and the Parks and Trails Fund receives 14.25 percent. These funds are appropriated every two years except the Outdoor Heritage Fund, which is appropriated annually.
The 2021 Legacy bill reflects our commitment to ensuring that Legacy Amendment funds benefit all Minnesotans and takes important steps to protect our outdoor heritage, water quality, and parks and trails systems.
State Government, Elections and Veterans
As our state continues to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Government, Elections, and Veterans bill includes investments in the responsive and efficient state government Minnesotans deserve to meet this moment and assist in our economic recovery. The bill also invests in Minnesota’s veterans with additional funding for our state veterans’ homes, funding to help end veteran homelessness, strategies to prevent veteran suicide, and a pathway for veterans who have been charged with crimes stemming from service-related trauma to get mental health or substance abuse help as an alternative to incarceration. The bill also includes several provisions to strengthen our democracy and elections.
Transportation
Minnesotans expect our roads and bridges to be safe and efficient, but across the state, our infrastructure continues to deteriorate. Many bridges are near collapse. Ourtransportation budget makes direct investments in transportation to address the long-term safety risk posed by our aging roads, bridges, and transportation infrastructure. The bill helps Minnesota grow our multimodal transportation system to help people get where they need to go no matter where they live, with investments in pedestrian and bike infrastructure, transit investments in both the metro and greater Minnesota, road safety improvements, rail projects, and more.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to reach out anytime at input or questions at rep.kelly.morrison@house.mn or 651-296-4315. I’m happy to help provide assistance when you need it.
Thank you for the honor of serving our 33B residents and families in the Minnesota House of Representatives!
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA– This evening, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed their proposal for the State Government budget bill, including provisions from the State Government Finance and Elections Committee as well as the Labor, Industry, Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Committee. The legislation funds the state’s constitutional offices, internal service agencies, and various boards, councils, and commissions. In addition to funding the state government, the bill also contains policies and funding to protect and strengthen Minnesota’s elections. The bill passed on a vote of 68-62.
“As our state addresses and recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, the investments in this bill facilitate the responsive state government Minnesotans deserve,” said Michael Nelson (DFL – Brooklyn Park), Chair of the House State Government Finance and Elections Committee. “Minnesotans hold elections in high regard, as seen by our consistent leadership in voter turnout. Following a safe, transparent, and secure election in 2020, our proposal strives to engage even more Minnesotans in the right to have their voices heard when exercising their civic duty.”
We are saddened and angered by the death of another Black man at the hands of police. We should all be safe in our community no matter where we live or what we look like, and House DFLers have proposed solutions to help end this seemingly never-ending cycle of trauma. We are committed to keeping all Minnesotans safe by pursuing reforms to build on measures passed last summer to hold accountable those responsible for wrongdoing and keep bad officers off the streets.
Legislative Work Moves to House Floor
Committees are largely wrapped up and most of our legislative work is shifting to the House floor. This week and next, we are voting on our budget bills. After passage of the bills, the House and Senate will work out compromises and aim to pass the final budget before adjournment on May 17.
Dear Constituents and Friends,We are all mourning the loss of Daunte Wright, another Black man murdered in Minnesota. The rest of the world was already looking at Minnesota, with there are national news services in Minnesota covering the trial of Derek Chauvin. George Floyd, Dolal Idd, and Daunte Wright — three Black men killed in the hands of law enforcement in Minnesota in less than a year.
On Wednesday, I visited Brooklyn Center along with other Minnesota Senate POCI Caucus members. We listened to community leaders and demanded legislative action to protect the lives of Black Minnesotans.
If Black lives matter, then we must pass substantive legislation to protect Black lives. Here are the policy recommendations my fellow Senate POCI members and I believe must be addressed before we go back to normal Senate business or budget negotiations.
Allow local governments to establish civilian oversight councils.
Ban the alteration, erasure, or destruction of body-worn camera recordings and withholding footage.
End qualified immunity.
Prohibit peace officers from affiliating with white supremacist groups.
Provide funding for community organizations working to prevent crime.
We still have time before we sine die for this legislative session on May 17th. There is a month to address and pass substantive legislation to protect Black lives in Minnesota.
I hope you take time to take care of yourself and support those who mourn and grieve the loss of Daunte Wright – a father, son, and member of the community.
Sincerely,
Melisa
Vaccine Update:
This week, the CDC and FDA recommended temporarily pausing further administration of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine out of an abundance of extreme caution. Six people out of the almost 7 million who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine experienced a rare and severe type of blood clot after getting the shot. Currently, none of the Minnesota vaccination sites are using J&J this week, and Minnesota and the CDC/FDA recommend a temporary pause on the J&J vaccine at this time.
All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and FDA are further reviewing these cases.
While these incidents have been extremely rare, if you have received the J&J vaccine and develop a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination you should contact their health care provider.
Minnesota continues to be a nationwide leader in vaccine rollout. As of April 14th, over 50% of individuals 16+ have received their first vaccine (almost 2.2 million). Over 1.5 million Minnesotans have received their full vaccination series
Before all bills with a fiscal impact go to the floor they have to pass through the Finance Committee. As omnibus bills pass out of their committee of primary jurisdiction they will eventually be vetted by the Finance Committee, making it a busy time for the committee. This week, we went from Finance Committee, to Session, and back to Finance Committee. The days are getting longer – with morning meetings starting at 7:45 am and finishing committee at 11:20 pm, you know we are a month away from sine die.
Omnibus bills:
This week on the floor we started to hear the Senate omnibus bills. The following bills passed on the floor and will go to conference committee next. The Senate and the House will take their proposed omnibus bills and negotiate for aspects of each bills. That means that bills will change during negotiations. Certain provisions in the Senate omnibus bill might look different in the House, but in the end we will find something that works. Here are some main takeaways from the Senate omnibus bills:
Higher Education:
Included:
The higher education omnibus budget bill passed on the Senate floor on Wednesday
$45 million in new funds for higher education and increases student grant amounts
Require colleges and universities to honor student transcript requests even if they carried unpaid fees and fines
Hunger Free Campus Grants to help with basic needs such as food shortages, housing and transportation
Increased grants to the College is Possible Program
Basic needs resource hub provision to help a changing student demographic meet the challenges of juggling college and daily life
Missing:
Addressing budget shortfalls for the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State systems.
Commerce, Consumer Protection & Energy:
Included:
Reinsurance – $150 million in taxpayer dollars to health insurance companies with a request – not a requirement – that they do not increase health insurance premiums too much
Missing:
Prevention in catalytic converter thefts by imposing penalties and providing enforcement tools that currently do not exist
A permanent statute protecting consumers from price-gouging during emergencies – 36 other states have this in law currently.
Extending the state’s cold weather rule, which protects low-income Minnesotans from having their utilities shut off during winter months if they are unable to pay their utility bills
Protecting access to landline service for seniors and rural Minnesotans
Meaningful steps towards decarbonization and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state.
Agriculture:
Included:
Expanding border-to-border broadband
Missing:
New or increased funding to support Minnesota’s farmers
Jobs and Workforce Development:
Included:
Small business relief loan guarantee program
Allows a person to qualify for reemployment assistance if they are enrolled in coursework offered by an adult basic education consortium member
Unemployment insurance for secondary students
Unemployment insurance
Missing:
Paid Family and Medical Leave for all Minnesotans
Judiciary and Public Safety
Included:
Voluntary intoxication defense for certain mentally incapacitated cases clarification
Removing the statute of limitations on reporting criminal sexual conduct
Human trafficking penalty increases
Missing:
Provision to prohibit police officers from associating with white supremacist groups
Strengthening hate crime laws to better protect Asian Americans
Police reform and accountability legislation
Gun safety legislation such as universal background checks
Constituent Meetings:
This week I was able to meet with constituents from Mom’s Demand Action, Edina teachers and educators through Education Minnesota lobby day, and howling wolves lobby day.
On Tuesday, I met with Mom’s Demand Action to discuss the future of gun safety legislation in the Minnesota Senate. Here are some the future Mom’s Demand Action community forums:
During Howling Wolves lobby I learned more about SF 1144 – a bill that would prevent wolf trophy hunting. I recently visited the International Wolf Center in Ely where I learned more about efforts to protect wolf populations. I am proud to add my name as a co-author to SF 1144.
I was stunned by the senseless killing of Daunte Wright this week. Brooklyn Center is a suburban city with a progressive Black mayor and, like Bloomington, a founding member of the Joint Community Police Partnership (JCPP). The mission of the JCCP is to enhance communication and understanding between law enforcement and the multicultural residents of the member cities to improve the safety and livability of our communities. The scenario that unfolded leading to Wright’s death is exactly the kind of tragedy that the JCCP program is designed to prevent.
We would all like to think that this couldn’t happen in our own communities, but it is happening in communities just like ours. I’m having trouble reconciling the fact that, on the one hand, I’ve never in 25 years of public service fielded a constituent complaint about a specific case of racial profiling by a member of the Bloomington Police Department; while on the other hand, I don’t have a single Black male friend or colleague who does not tell of having been subjected to a “pretextual stop” for “driving while Black”. Wright was allegedly stopped for having expired registration tabs. Because of pandemic-related appointment backlogs at Driver & Vehicle Services, there are now over 600,000 Minnesotans driving with expired tabs and very few of them are being pulled over.
Policing Reform, Veterans Justice, and the Senate Judiciary Bill
In the aftermath of the death of Daunte Wright at the hands of law enforcement, and during the trial of Derek Chauvin, our state took up the Senate omnibus judiciary bill. Unfortunately, the bill lacked any fundamental reforms to our policing that could prevent future tragedies. A sad moment for me was when an amendment failed along party lines which would have prohibited law enforcement officers from affiliating with white supremacist organizations.
Additionally, amendments to create a task force on missing and murdered indigenous Minnesotans and to close loopholes in our hate crime laws also failed.
Last summer, in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, House DFLers fought for comprehensive police reform and accountability measures, and successfully enacted many new laws including: use of force reform, banning choke holds and warrior training, arbitration reform as well as mental health training. But now, in the shadow of the Chauvin trial and with the trauma of George Floyd’s death still fresh, Minnesota now mourns the death of another Black man killed by law enforcement.
Daunte Wright’s life matters. Black lives matter.
We know that a better future is possible for all of us if we accept our responsibility to create it together. We must take action at every level of government to reimagine policing in a way that builds trust and makes everyone in our communities more safe. The public safety measures passed last year were always supposed to be the first of many steps on our path to a Minnesota where everyone feels truly safe and are treated with dignity and respect.
In the House, we’re pushing for change that will improve public safety and strengthen the relationship between community and law enforcement, including:
Strengthening the police officer misconduct database to build a more effective early warning intervention system to keep bad officers off the streets
Allowing local units of government to establish civilian oversight councils and funding community organizations working to prevent crime in their communities while addressing the need for community healing after a traumatic event
Prohibiting white supremacists from becoming peace officers
New limits on the use of no-knock warrants
Prohibiting altering or destroying body cam footage, requiring footage to be shared with family no more than 48 hours after a deadly force incident, and prohibiting withholding of footage
Requiring model policing on response to public assemblies
Requiring the POST Board to prioritize the goal of promoting public safety, including the promotion of human rights — maintaining the basic rights, freedoms, and privileges that belong to every person including the right to dignity, fairness, equality, respect, and freedom from discrimination.
With what our state and nation has gone through in the past year, you would hope that these wouldn’t be partisan or controversial, but this will face an uphill fight in the legislature.
It’s a fight worth having.
Throughout all of this, my legislative colleagues that serve in both the People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus and the United Black Legislative Caucus (UBLC) have been leading the way as a national and global spotlight continues to be focused on Minnesota. It’s through their work and leadership that I believe we will build a more just and inclusive Minnesota.
Safe and Affordable Housing
Yesterday on the House floor, we passed some of our first budget proposals for the legislative session, including the Housing bill I helped craft in committee this year. Our housing proposal includes $30 million in new investments and provisions like:
Funding for the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) for specific programs.
Establishes the lead safe homes grant program and a task force on shelter resident rights and shelter provider practices and contains amendments to other various programs administered by MHFA.
Funding for various programs related to affordable housing.
Provisions related to the Minnesota Bond Allocation Act, residential rental housing/ landlord and tenant law and manufactured housing.
Minnesota faced a housing crisis – and that was before a global pandemic illustrated just how vital a safe home is to our health, happiness and economic security. There is no place like home, yet in Minnesota an affordable place to live is out of reach for hundreds of thousands of families. We are working to create a Minnesota where everyone can afford the roof over their head and this bill takes important steps to build that future.
Both today and next week, we’ll continue to pass our budget proposals off the House floor. In addition to Housing, we passed our Legacy Amendment yesterday, which invests in all the things that make our state great – the great outdoors, clean water, arts and cultural heritage, and parks and trails. Today, we’re debating our State Government, Elections, Veterans, and Transportation bills, and next week we’ll have even more.
The Session Daily and the rest of Minnesota House Public Information are a great resource of information as we spend the next week passing these important bills. You’re also able to watch our debate on the House floor here. If you have any questions about the legislation we’re working on, please feel free to reach out. You can contact me at rep.michael.howard@house.mn or (651) 296-7158. I look forward to hearing from you.
As I write you today, I want to begin by acknowledging that this has been a difficult week for all Minnesotans. The death of Daunte Wright has once again brought Minnesota into the spotlight due to police violence. It has once again shown the reality of Dr. King’s statement that “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” I will continue to work with my colleagues in the legislature to advance justice and racial equity, and ensure that we are doing all we can to make our state welcoming and safe for all Minnesotans.
This week, the Senate began passing omnibus budget bills off the floor. The next step in the process will be conference committees, where the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Walz administration will work out differences, and send bills to the Governor for his signature. The state budget must be adopted by July 1st of this year, but I am hopeful that agreements will be reached before the end of the legislative session.
While our community is in pain, grieving the loss of yet another Black man in Minnesota, we must stop playing politics. We’ve held dozens of hearings over the course of the session that were met with resistance and dismissiveness from police lobbyists and Republican members in both the Senate and the House.
The people of Minnesota deserve and demand a future where community trust is sacred, police officers are held accountable for misconduct, and justice is served for everyone. We cannot normalize waking up to a piling list of Black men killed by law enforcement officers.
