Governor Walz announced today that all Minnesotans age 16 and older will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination beginning Tuesday, March 30. This is great news, as this comes over one month ahead of schedule.
If you have not already, please sign up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector to get updates on vaccine opportunities near you. You can also contact your healthcare provider, local pharmacy, or use the Vaccine Locator Map to search for vaccine providers in your area.
Governor Walz announced today that starting Tuesday, Minnesotans 16 and older will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. The final eligibility expansion comes as the federal government has promised an increased supply of vaccine by April. By expanding eligibility to all Minnesotans, providers across the state will have the flexibility they need to fill appointments and support the state’s most critical goal: to get as many Minnesotans vaccinated as quickly as possible to end this pandemic.
All Minnesotans who have not received a vaccine should sign up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector to get updates on vaccine opportunities and be entered into the random selection process for the state’s Community Vaccination Program sites. Minnesotans can also contact their healthcare provider, local pharmacy or use the Vaccine Locator Map to search for vaccine providers in their area.
The 2021 legislative session has reached its half-way point. Policy committee deadlines have passed, and the legislature will be on Easter-Passover break next week. When we return from break, the focus will be on committees passing omnibus budget bills. All budget bills must be referred to the Finance Committee by April 9th. After that, the Senate and House will pass their respective bills and conference committee work will begin. As we approach the final eight weeks of the legislative session, I will continue to work with my colleagues on the issues that matter, including a budget that is balanced fairly and makes investments that prioritize the real needs that Minnesotans have as we continue to recover from the pandemic. I hope you’ll keep in touch as these important bills move forward.
Budget Targets
Senate Republicans released their budget targets for the 2021-22 biennium. The targets would leave thousands of Minnesotans without the proper support they need to get back on their feet after this past year. These targets show the Senate Republicans’ plan for the total amount the state will spend on any specific budget area over the next two years. Their proposed cuts to Minnesota’s budget, will leave the state in an unstable position for years to come as the one-time federal funding offered this year goes away and leaves our programs underfunded for the future.
I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on the most pressing issues we are working on at the Capitol. If you have not done so already, please complete this survey to help me understand where you feel I should focus my efforts for the rest of session.
Vaccine Update
Yesterday, Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan announced the expansion of vaccine eligibility for people 16 years of age and older starting March 30th. The announcement is in response to the increased supply of vaccines by the federal government to arrive in April. This is fantastic news and a clear sign that we are entering the final stretch of fighting this vaccine. Read more about this development here.
If you haven’t yet, sign up for the state’s Vaccine Connector to get connected with opportunities once you’re eligible
Yesterday, Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan announced the expansion of vaccine eligibility for people 16 years of age and older starting March 30th. The announcement is in response to the increased supply of vaccines by the federal government to arrive in April.
In the past months, Minnesota has proven to be a national leader in getting shots into arms, and will now be able to step into the final stage of distribution. This week, Minnesota was ranked number one in the country for the percentage of vaccine doses administered to Minneostans. For more information, please check out this article by the Star Tribune.
Additionally, we are entering the final stretch of session, and as we begin to make important decisions, I’d like to hear from you. If you have not already one so, please fill out my legislative survey to let me know how you feel about these important issues. Thanks in advance for your input!
Helping Hospitality and Service Sector Workers Return to their Jobs
Yesterday, the Minnesota House of Representatives advanced my legislation to help laid-off hospitality and service sector workers return to their jobs.
This bill applies to Minnesotans employed by hotels, airports, and event centers; the facilities attached to them, including restaurants, bars, and retail; as well as related services, including maintenance, security, ticketing, ground-handling, and food and beverage services. It also applies to an enterprise providing maintenance and security services to office, retail, or commercial buildings, like a staffing agency.
To be eligible for rehire and retention benefits, Minnesotans need to have worked for their employer for at least six months in the year prior to January 31, 2020, and become unemployed after January 31, 2020, due to the pandemic. Employers would be required to provide eligible workers with information about available job positions for which they qualify, and to rehire employees based on a preference system of qualifications and seniority.
Displaced hospitality workers deserve our full support now more than ever. Today’s vote further demonstrates our promise to provide a safety net for workers, majority of which are Black and Latinx, who are suffering the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. I have full confidence and trust that Minnesota will emerge stronger than before, and build back our community with a flourishing economy.
Earned Sick and Safe Time for Minnesota Workers
One of the bills we advanced this week ensures that Minnesotans aren’t forced to choose between a paycheck and taking care of themselves or a loved one. Under this legislation, workers would earn at least one hour of paid Earned Sick and Safe Time for every 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours per year. Workers can use this time to stay home when they’re sick, to take care of a family member, or for an absence related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
Preventing Wage Discrimination
March 24th was Equal Pay Day, an annual reminder that we are still fighting a gender and race pay gap across the nation, and here in Minnesota. Yesterday, the Minneosta House advanced the Preventing Discrimination Act, a bill that halts this practice and brings us one step closer to closing the pay gap.
House File 403 addresses a systemic issue of pay disparities. COVID-19 has demonstrated that we all benefit when workers have the ability to stay home without missing their paycheck. This bill would make our workplaces, schools, and communities healthier, and I am proud to support it in the House
Summer Learning Package Passes
Students, parents, and families are suffering the consequences of this pandemic more than many others, both academically and emotionally. On Tuesday, the Minnesota House passed a robust summer learning package to help address learning loss through hands-on tutoring and programming, ensure our students have an opportunity to get caught up, and provide critical mental health support to those who need it. I voted in support of the bill and am looking forward to seeing it help our kids succeed.
Yesterday, Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan announced the expansion of vaccine eligibility for people 16 years of age and older starting March 30th. The announcement is in response to the increased supply of vaccines by the federal government to arrive in April. This is fantastic news and a clear sign that we are entering the final stretch of fighting this vaccine. Read more about this development here.
If you haven’t yet, sign up for the state’s Vaccine Connector to get connected with opportunities once you’re eligible.
Heroes Week
This week was busy for us as we moved to pass significant legislation that would meet the needs of workers, families, and first responders who sacrificed the most over the last year to protect their communities. It’s not enough to call these folks heroes and credit them for all they’ve done, we must also back our words with action. Here is some of the legislation we passed this week to help Minnesota’s heroes emerge stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the midpoint of the 2021 Legislative Session, the contrast between the priorities of the Senate DFL and Senate Republicans could not be starker. While Senate Republicans have proposed a hyper-partisan agenda, Senate DFLers are fighting for policies to help working families, provide a world-class education, ensure a clean future, and advance our democracy.
Since session has begun this year, Senate Republicans have held hearings on legislation that would restrict voter access, discriminate against a sector of our student athletes, reopen schools and businesses without safety plans or resources, and have pushed to rollback clean air and water protections. Republicans can’t even affirm that our elections are free and fair, which is a cornerstone to our democracy.
Instead of real solutions to address the pandemic while keeping Minnesotans safe, they waste precious time attacking the governor and not doing the legislative work necessary to help our state. They proposed reopening businesses and schools without adequate safety measures or funding in place to keep people safe. Even in the midst of a public health crisis, they ignore and mock the safety practices necessary to mitigate the risks of this pandemic, including at the Senate itself by not wearing masks and putting the health of their colleagues and staff at risk.
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – This morning, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled under the state’s criminal sexual conduct (CSC) statute, the definition of “mentally incapacitated” doesn’t include a person who became intoxicated after voluntarily consuming alcohol.
State Rep. Kelly Moller (DFL – Shoreview) is the chief author of legislation to comprehensively update Minnesota’s CSC statute, which includes recommendations of the CSC Statutory Reform Working Group, including one to close the intoxication loophole.
“Victims who are intoxicated to the degree that they are unable to give consent are entitled to justice. Our laws must clearly reflect that understanding, and today’s Supreme Court ruling highlights the urgency lawmakers have to close this and other loopholes throughout our CSC law,” Rep. Moller said. “Prosecutors, survivors, and advocates have identified the problem and the CSC Working Group did incredibly tough work to identify the solutions. Minnesotans who experience unthinkable trauma deserve to see the Legislature take action on this immediately.”
As the Supreme Court’s opinion notes: “nearly half of all women in the United States have been the victim of sexual violence in their lifetime—including an estimated 10 million women who have been raped while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.” Nevertheless, the court found that for purposes of a CSC conviction, “a person is mentally incapacitated only if under the influence of alcohol administered to the person without the person’s agreement.”
The opinion went on to note the Legislature’s “unique institutional capacity” to address the issue, specifically citing the CSC Working Group and Rep. Moller’s legislation as a remedy.
The House Public Safety Committee approved Rep. Moller’s legislation on February 18 and the House Judiciary and Civil Law Committee approved it on March 11.
The bipartisan bill has not received a committee hearing in the Senate.
As summer approaches, we can more clearly see the light at the end of the tunnel and a return to enjoy Minnesota without COVID-19 related restrictions. While we continue to make speedy progress with the vaccine distribution plan, I hope you stay safe and in line to receive yours.
As of March 21st, exactly 1,437,931 people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while 854,827 people have completed both doses of vaccine that are required for the vaccine’s maximum effect.
On Thursday, Governor Walz announced Minnesota has administered more than two million COVID-19 vaccine doses. While it took more than two months for the state to administer the first million doses, it took less than one month to administer the second million doses.
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota House advanced a bipartisan measure 69-63 to fund a summer learning package for Minnesota students from cradle to career.
“Today’s vote for summer learning is the first step in passing significant investments for education this session,” said Speaker Melissa Hortman. “All Minnesota children deserve a world-class education and every opportunity to succeed. We are going to help our children and students recover from a difficult year and then thrive once this pandemic is behind us.”
“It’s critically important for us to be thinking carefully about strategic investments that put our students first,” said Rep. Jim Davnie, House Education Finance Chair. “The measures and steps we can take now will help our kids bounce back more quickly from the pandemic, academically and emotionally, and be better prepared for their future.”
