Minnesota Legislature 25 , CD3 DFL

GOP Governors Who Opposed Rescue Plan Will Still Take $55 Billion

Iowa’s Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds is highlighting her staunch opposition to the American Rescue Plan in her reelection campaign messaging as a way to attract potential supporters and obtain their contact information. But like other governors who have attacked President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan, she has not turned down the huge financial infusion her state will receive from it.

“I stood alongside 21 other Republican Governors to OPPOSE President Biden’s plan to use YOUR taxpayer dollars to bail out blue states like CA, NY, and IL,” Reynolds tweeted on Thursday. “Will you sign your name alongside side mine to tell Biden you OPPOSE his blue state bailout?”

The tweet links to a petition that contains required fields for email addresses and phone numbers and the disclaimers “Paid for by the Kim Reynolds for Iowa Committee” and “By providing your phone number, you are consenting to receive calls and texts, including automated calls and texts, to that number.” Continue reading.

Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: March 29, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

Starting tomorrow, all Minnesotans age 16 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This is thanks to an increased supply of vaccine we’ll be receiving in early April from the federal government. While this is news many of us have been waiting for, opening up vaccine eligibility doesn’t necessarily mean that vaccine appointments will be available right away or close by. As has been the case with much of this pandemic, patience and diligence will be needed as we continue to prioritize at-risk Minnesotans.

If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, I highly encourage you to check out Minnesota’s COVID-19 Vaccine Connector, a tool to help people find out when, where, and how to get a vaccine. It can let you know when you’re eligible to be vaccinated, connect you to resources to schedule a vaccine appointment, and alert you if there are vaccine opportunities nearby. To sign up, visit mn.gov/vaccineconnector or call 833-431-2053. Minnesotans can also contact their healthcare provider, local pharmacy or use theVaccine Locator Map to search for vaccine providers in their area.

Rep. Steve Elkins (HD49B) Update: March 29, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

Tax Filing Extension

The Minnesota Department of Revenue has announced a grace period for taxpayers filing their annual Minnesota Individual Income Tax return for tax year 2020. Those taxpayers now have until May 17, 2021, to file and make their payments without any penalty or interest. This grace period does not include individual estimated tax payments. I’ll have more to say about the State’s tax/fiscal status in another update in the near future.

Vaccine Update

Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan have announced the expansion of vaccine eligibility for people 16 years of age and older starting tomorrow, March 30th. The announcement is in response to the increased supply of vaccines from the federal government. Read more about this development here.

This doesn’t mean that you’re necessarily going to receive a vaccination right away; it means that everyone is now being encouraged to “get in line” by registering with the State’s Vaccine Connector. Both healthcare systems and the operators of the Vaccine Connector will still be prioritizing seniors, vulnerable adults with health complications and frontline workers over the next several weeks.

DFL Hits Rep. Mortensen With Campaign Finance Complaint

Mortensen broke the rules by controlling an unregistered political committee

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota DFL Party filed a complaint against Representative Erik Mortensen and the North Star Liberty Alliance with the Campaign Finance Board related to NSLA’s failure to register with the Board and Rep. Mortenson’s illegal exercise of control over the political committee.

The North Star Liberty Alliance is an overtly-partisan organization focusing its attacks on the “radical left” and its other political enemies. As such, it is required to register with the Campaign Finance Board and disclose all of its contributions and expenditures. Instead, it hides its activities behind the false mantle of non-partisan organization focused on promoting liberty.

Rep. Mortensen pulls the strings of the Alliance and recently sent a fundraising letter describing all of the things “we” will do to defeat his political opponents. This is a violation of Minnesota campaign finance law, which prohibits candidates from exercising direct or indirect control over a political committee. A copy of the complaint has been attached to this email.

2021 House Veterans & Military Affairs bill earns committee approval

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the House Labor, Industry, and Veterans Affairs Committee unanimously approved the 2021 House Veterans & Military Affairs Finance & Policy Bill. The legislation, authored by committee chair Rep. Rob Ecklund (DFL – International Falls), contains a variety of funding and policy initiatives to help Minnesota veterans, including significant investments to address veteran homelessness and prevent veteran suicides.

“This past year has been difficult for Minnesotans as a result of COVID-19, and throughout it all, our dedicated military veterans and service members continue to make sacrifices and face challenges,” Rep. Ecklund said. “I’m proud of the bipartisan, thoughtful work we’ve done in this committee to deliver solutions to help ensure those who’ve served can have the healthy and successful future they deserve.”

The legislation includes $6.33 million in few funding toward addressing veteran homelessness. The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) estimates there are approximately 150 Minnesota homeless veterans who aren’t eligible for housing services through the VA. The new funding will be used to provide housing vouchers and help the MDVA work with the Interagency Council on Homelessness to identify individuals on the Homeless Veteran Registry and provide them with necessary help.

The bill also invests $1.65 million to prevent suicides among veterans, the funding from which will go toward hiring new staff at the MDVA devoted to preventing veteran suicide, increasing outreach, training, and marketing efforts to raise awareness, and strengthen partnerships with local units of government, mental health care providers, state agencies, and other partners. MDVA would also perform an intensive review of records of veterans who have died by suicide to identify trends and warning signs.

Overall, the bill contains a $16.7 million increase in the MDVA’s budget, mainly to fund increases for the state’s five veterans homes. Other provisions in the bill include:

The Veterans Restorative Justice Act, which creates alternative sentencing options for veterans who commit certain crimes resulting from service-related trauma. The measure builds upon the Veterans Court model to help eligible veterans receive chemical dependency or mental health treatment as opposed to incarceration
Numerous changes to the state’s Code of Military Justice, which addresses court martial proceedings and criminal violations by members of the armed forces
Authorizes MDVA to share data with the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness and Homeless Veteran Registry partners to quickly help veterans experiencing homelessness
Several changes regarding the process for selecting the Adjutant General for the Minnesota National Guard
Creation of a task force to recognize the 20^th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks
Technical changes to the Minnesota GI Bill
Authorization of Adult Day Care and Dental Services at VA homes
Changing Veterans Suicide Awareness Day to Veterans Suicide Prevention and Awareness Day
A technical change to the Personal Needs Allowance calculation for residents of VA homes
Authorization for the MDVA to contract for public relations

The legislation now goes to the House Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.

Video of the hearing will be available on House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel. More information, including documents from the hearing, is available on thecommittee webpage.

Legislation to Expand and Improve Hate Crime Reporting Advances in the House

SAINT, PAUL, MINNESOTA – Legislation to expand and improve reporting of hate crimes has advanced out of the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Division. The bill expands the categories crimes motivated by bias to include bias against a person due to the person’s gender, gender identity, or gender expression, and bias against a person who associates with someone in a protected group.

“This important measure will raise awareness of the urgent need to update our hate crime statutes in Minnesota,” said Rep. Hornstein (DFL-Minneapolis), the bill’s chief author. “It gives law enforcement and communities the tools they need to address this mounting concern. All Minnesotans deserve to feel safe. Our communities should expect no less.”

The legislation also directs the commissioner of human rights to collect supplemental data on crimes motivated by bias and appropriates money for grants to assist in collecting the data and to provide support services for victims of those crimes.

Rep. Samantha Vang (DFL-Brooklyn Center) is a co-author of the legislation.

“This bill will go a long way toward giving us the data and full understanding needed to track our rising hate crime problem so we can actively work to put an end to stop hate,” said Rep. Vang, chair of the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus. “We will still have to overcome language, culture, and trust barriers to get a true picture of what our communities of color and indigenous communities are facing, but this bill will be a fantastic help in our fight against hate.”

The bill awaits action in the Minnesota Senate.

Minnesota House passes Earned Sick & Safe Time legislation

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – On Thursday, the Minnesota House approved legislation authored by Rep. Liz Olson (DFL – Duluth) to extend Earned Sick and Safe Time benefits to all Minnesota workers. The legislation would ensure, at a minimum, one hour of paid Earned Sick and Safe Time for every 30 hours worked, up to at least 48 hours per year.

“No one should have to face economic hardship for choosing to stay home if they’re sick or take their child to the doctor, but right now that’s the unfortunate reality for too many workers,” Rep. Olson said. “As we work together to build a better future for Minnesotans following COVID-19, this is one of the most important steps we can take at this pivotal moment in time to strengthen economic security and make sure workers and families can be healthy.”

While Minnesotans have been asked repeatedly to stay home when they’re sick during the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 900,000 workers – especially those in low-wage positions and those in the service industry – don’t have access to sick days or any other paid time off. Under the bill, Earned Sick and Safe Time could be used for the following purposes:

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: March 26, 2021

Neighbors,

House DFLers are focused on crafting a budget to reflect the values and priorities of Minnesotans. This week, we released our budget target framework aiming to build a state where everyone succeeds. Our budget invests in students, workers, families, and small businesses and as vice chair of the Early Childhood Committee, I am especially pleased we are boosting our investment to help our littlest learners. So many of our neighbors did not fare very well during the pandemic and our budget gives them the tools and support to recover and thrive.

Rep. Kelly Morrison (HD33B) Update: March 26, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

Governor Walz today announced that starting next Tuesday, all Minnesotans aged 16 or older will become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. If you haven’t done so, now is the time to sign up for the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Connector which will alert you to vaccine opportunities. You’re also encouraged to contact your healthcare provider, local pharmacy or use the Vaccine Locator Map to search for nearby vaccine providers.

While all Minnesotans will become eligible next Tuesday, not every Minnesotan will be immediately able to make an appointment. Vaccine shipments from the federal government will continue increasing over the coming weeks, but for now demand will still exceed supply. Providers will be directed to keep prioritizing older Minnesotans, those with underlying health conditions, and those in frontline jobs. Following that, they will have the flexibility to give appointments to others eligible. Starting next week, we’re expected to receive much larger quantities of the vaccine which should quickly accelerate distribution.

Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart (SD44) Update: March 26, 2021

Week-in-Review Video

A message from your Senator

Constituents and friends,

It was another busy week at the Capitol in advance of our mid-session break next week. We debated several bills on the Senate floor, including Medicare reimbursements for healthcare providers that are administering COVID-19 vaccines, school district funding transfers, standardized testing requirements, and a pilot program for hiring short-term substitute teachers.

Below, you can watch my floor speech in support of a proposed amendment to the substitute teacher bill, which would have required school districts to submit written complaints to the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board for any conduct by a substitute that is grounds for licensure revocation. The amendment was offered because the bill itself doesn’t require prospective substitutes to hold a teaching license from the Board – so if a teacher was fired for ethical misconduct, they wouldn’t be reported to the Board and could teach in a different district without a record of their behavior. I believe that was a serious flaw with the bill, and that we need to do everything in our power to keep students and staff as safe as possible. Unfortunately, the amendment was not approved, and I voted against the bill.

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Mortensen broke the rules by controlling an unregistered political committee

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A message from your Senator

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