Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in violence against Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), immigrants, and international citizens. Over the past month in particular, there has been a rise of anti-AAPI violence, and these violent acts have culminated in the horrific murders in Atlanta, which included six AAPI women. We must all stand up and confront hate when we see it, I stand with our AAPI communities and will work to ensure that we feel safe wherever and whoever we are. Please watch my colleague Rep. Tou Xiong’s speechon this tragedy, and the Minnesota Asian Pacific Caucuses statement on the issue.
Bills Progressing
Two bills of mine were heard in committees. One, HF 718, would allow cities to adopt pesticide control ordinances, which is currently prohibited and would create more pollinator-friendly habitats. You can watch my presentation on this bill here. The second bill, HF 970 diversifies mental health providers across the state. We have a long standing workforce shortage in our mental health providers combined with increased needs for mental healthcare due to the pandemic, my bill seeks comprehensive support to diversify providers from rural Minnesota and BIPOC providers.
The first committee deadline is behind us, but the pace of the legislative session is not slowing down. I have one bill ready for a vote of the full House, five that have been heard in all of their committee stops and laid over for possible inclusion in the larger bills, three bills are still in the committee process, four bills are being refined for future success, and three bills in the idea stage, ranging from insurance reform to ensuring justice for survivors of Asbestos exposure.
I am also working to champion House File 81, to establish a pharmacogenomics (PGx) task force, by partnering with one of my Republican colleagues, because it has great promise for the health of our citizens and the innovation of our state. It is a hectic time, but I can still say I truly love doing this work on behalf of my community and all Minnesotans
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – On Wednesday, the House Climate and Energy Finance and Policy Committee heard legislation authored by Rep. Jamie Long (DFL – Minneapolis) that would mitigate the impact of the recent nationwide spike in natural gas prices. The bill provides assistance to low-income Minnesotans who used natural gas during the period when costs skyrocketed. It also provides loans for municipal utilities that were forced to pay unusually high prices for natural gas.
“Many Minnesotans will soon face higher utility bills through no fault of their own,” said Rep. Long. “Families and small businesses that are already experiencing challenges due to COVID-19 could see their bills increase by hundreds of dollars because of the extraordinary spike in natural gas prices that occurred last month. We need to help utilities manage this crisis and mitigate the impact on Minnesotans, particularly the most vulnerable.”
In February, demand for natural gas increased significantly due to a cold wave in the southern United States. As a result, the cost of natural gas skyrocketed. Costs climbed even higher when unwinterized infrastructure in Texas and other states froze, reducing the supply of natural gas. While Minnesota’s infrastructure held up well during this period despite subzero temperatures, most of the state’s utilities had to purchase a portion of their gas at a much higher price than anticipated. This cost will be passed on to consumers, which means Minnesotans may see their heating bills increase. Municipal utility customers could see an impact on their bills this month.
More information is available on the committee’s webpage. Video of the hearing will be available on House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel.
More Minnesotans are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. We reached our goal of vaccinating 70% of Minnesotans 65 and older last week, despite original projections showing that wouldn’t be the case until the end of this month. With vaccine administration being ahead of schedule, it’s highly possible that full vaccination could be a reality for all Minnesotans who want it by this summer. Events like the State Fair are within our reach, as long as we play it smart in the coming months.
Minnesotans who are now eligible to receive a vaccine include the following:
People with certain underlying conditions, including sickle cell disease, down syndrome, and oxygen-dependent chronic lung or heart conditions, and those who are in active cancer treatment or immunocompromised from organ transplant
People with rare conditions or disabilities that put them at higher risk
Today marks the second deadline at the Legislature, which requires committees to act favorably on bills or companions of bills that met the first deadline in the other body. It is just the latest sign that we are moving quickly through the session, and brings us closer to creating a responsible and balanced budget. With our legislative recess coming at the end of next week, we are officially at the halfway point through the 2021 Legislative Session.
Our third deadline comes on April 9, by which point we will need to pass major finance and appropriation bills. These are the bills that fund the core areas of our budget – like education, health and human services, and transportation. The pace of our work will only pick up, as we get this budget together before our adjournment in May. While we still have a ways to go, I remain optimistic that my colleagues and I will come together to make sure the final budget we pass reflects our values and is focused on helping Minnesotans get through this pandemic and recover.
Budget
Minnesota’s economic outlook has come a long way since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when state economists forecast major budget deficits for the state. Thankfully, through our progress against this virus, and thanks to state and federal aid, our economic outlook continues to improve.
We will also be receiving an influx of additional aid thanks to the latest federal relief bill, which will deliver approximately $4.9 billion in funding for COVID-19 related expenses. This aid will be a major boost at the local, county, and state level. However, it is largely one-time funding that can only be used for COVID-19 related expenses. We must make sure this aid, as well as the final budget we create is focused on helping those that have been hardest hit by the pandemic.
Following a significant change in the state’s fiscal outlook in the February 2021 budget forecast, Governor Walz has released a revised budget proposal. While this is only a proposal, and does not take into account the latest federal aid, it does give guidance to the Legislature on where his priorities are. It is only a proposal, and it is up to us in the Senate and the House to do the work of creating the actual budget for the state.
Vaccines now available to all VA-enrolled Veterans
If you are a veteran, please enroll with the VA and get your vaccine. If you know a veteran, please share this information with them.
If you have any questions or wish to unsubscribe from this Newsletter please feel free to contact my office at 651-296-2556 or by email at sen.jerry.newton@senate.mn.
Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, grew up in a low-income neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, where gun violence and drug trafficking were a frequent presence near his home. At the University of Minnesota Morris, he founded and was president of the only collegiate NAACP chapter in Minnesota. After law school, he became a Hennepin County public defender.
Frazier would turn to education, first as director of equity and diversity for the Minneapolis Public School District before joining the legal team of the district and later the state teachers union, Education Minnesota. He filled a vacancy on the New Hope City Council and then was was elected in 2020 to fill the 45A district vacated by Rep. Lyndon Carlson, the longest serving lawmaker in Minnesota history.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Being the only divided Legislature in the country, how do you plan to reach across the aisle in order to pass legislation?
As a new legislator, I’ve been intentional about reaching out to my colleagues on the other side. I think we have to get past our differences, produce legislation and policy that is going to benefit everybody in Minnesota. That is needed, even more so now. I am really intentional about reaching out and trying to find common ground for residents and our community. Continue reading.
I hope this email finds you well on this last official day of winter. Committee deadlines are upon us at the legislature, which help legislators narrow the focus on which priority bills will continue to move forward.
The pace hasn’t slowed, and our work continues. Read more news from the Capitol below:
Vaccine Update
This week, Minnesota surpassed 2 million vaccines. Overall, the pace of vaccine distribution continues to increase. 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. If you haven’t done so yet, please sign up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector to be connected with vaccine opportunities when you are eligible. In some cases, your employer will have more information on vaccine availability, and it’s a good idea to be in touch with your health care provider too.
It was another busy week at our state Capitol! We debated several bills on the Senate floor, most notably SF 4, which was Senate Republicans’ fourth attempt in the last two months to remove Governor Walz’s emergency powers. I voted against it – I support the Governor’s measured and science-backed response to COVID-19, and based on my first few months in office, I’m not at all confident in the ability of the legislature to rapidly and properly respond to pandemics and other emergencies.
We unanimously passed a bill to provide aid for the sanitary cleanup of former dry cleaning business sites, and ban the use of a dry-cleaning chemical that’s known to be a toxic air pollutant. The House passed the bill unanimously as well, so it’s now headed to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.
As second deadlines come to a close we are now ready to work on preparing omnibus bills. We will have a busy week of finalizing different policies and marking up the financial parts of budgets to ensure they are balanced and complete in addressing Minnesotans needs. This is also the time to bring forward any technical changes needed in the bills important to you. Speaking of bills, I was successful in getting two bills heard and passed in Civil Law Committee this week. SF 1332 This legislation contains two provisions, one provision ensures appeals related to child support good cause exemptions occur in a timely manner that does not require parents to choose between safety and receiving assistance needed to support themselves and their children, and the other provision enables district courts to transfer child support cases to tribal courts when certain requirements are met so that tribal families are not burdened with an unnecessarily complicated process when seeking to modify child support. Also SF 1333 This bill makes a number of technical and housekeeping corrections to statutes governing adoptions from foster care and transfers of permanent legal and physical custody, Northstar Care for Children, permanency, and the definition of foster care. It also makes a correction in the statute authorizing co-location of a foster child with their parent in a specially licensed or approved co-location substance use disorder facility by referencing tribally approved facilities in addition to licensed facilities.
Knowing that Minnesota now has a surplus rather than a deficit we still need to be fiscally vigilant with the taxpayers money, but that point will make our decisions more focused on the unique needs and flexibility versus straight up cuts which was our first reaction to the fact that we were possibly facing a deficit.
Today, March 19th is the second legislative deadline. We continue to hear bills in committee and on the Senate Floor. Finance. Committees add additional hearings to make sure that bills meet deadlines. In the Human Services Reform Committee we heard 22 bills on Tuesday, after our scheduled hearing time we came back in the evening to hear additional bills.
On Monday, March 15 at 12:00 p.m. the COVID-19 guidance updates went into effect. Here are the newest provisions:
