Category: Minnesota Legislature

Minnesota House Passes Police Accountability Act

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota House approved the Minnesota Police Accountability Act. The legislation, authored by members of the People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus, contains strong police accountability reforms and measures to ensure racial justice.

“Today, we’re beginning to make the overdue changes Minnesotans have been demanding to help ensure no more lives are lost due to police violence,” said Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – Saint Paul), bill author and chair of the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Division. “By passing this bill into law, we’re taking the first steps toward major changes to hold police officers accountable for harmful acts, and we are committed to continuing our work for safer communities. It wasn’t safe for George Floyd or for Philando Castile, and they deserved a better way to police that builds community.” Continue reading “Minnesota House Passes Police Accountability Act”

Minnesota House to vote on jobs and local projects, tax legislation on Monday

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — The Minnesota House of Representatives will vote on jobs and local projects and tax legislation on Monday, July 20. The spreadsheet of bonding provisions is here and the spreadsheet of tax provisions can be found here.

Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman released the following statement:

“In the middle of a pandemic that has put us into a recession, it’s important that the state legislature do everything we can to create jobs and stimulate economic growth. This bill will create jobs and fund infrastructure projects our communities desperately need. It’s time for House Republicans to leave aside unrelated matters and join us in passing this agreement on behalf of Minnesotans.” Continue reading.

Minnesota House Declares Racism a Statewide Public Health Crisis

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA— The Minnesota House of Representatives today voted to declare racism a public health crisis.

According to the official resolution voted upon today, the declaration applies to the entire state and affirms that the Minnesota House will be an active participant in the dismantling of racism. It creates a House Select Committee on Minnesota’s response tasked with analyzing legislative work through an intersectional race equity lens.

“This is about advancing and promoting equitable opportunity across all of our systems, in the areas of health, education, housing, public safety, and economic and workforce development,” said Rep. Ruth Richardson (DFL-Mendota Heights), chief author of the resolution. “The COVID-19 pandemic and senseless murder of George Floyd have shined a light on the historical and contemporary injustices that are still embedded in our society.” Continue reading “Minnesota House Declares Racism a Statewide Public Health Crisis”

House bill could offer lifeline for Minneapolis, St. Paul areas devastated by civil unrest

Nearly two months after nights of sweeping civil unrest in Minneapolis and St. Paul, business owners, residents and property owners devastated by the destruction still need help rebuilding.

More than 1,500 buildings along major commercial thoroughfares like Minneapolis’ East Lake Street, West Broadway Avenue and St. Paul’s University Avenue suffered what officials estimated are $500 million in damages as a result of the fires, looting and vandalism that occurred following George Floyd’s death in police custody on Memorial Day.

Legislation approved Friday in the House Jobs and Economic Development Finance Division would create an immediate relief program for those impacted areas, with more than $167 million in General Fund funding proposed to aid rebuilding. Continue reading.

Rep. Patty Acomb (HD44B) Update: July 16, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

I hope this finds you well and staying safe and healthy.

The Legislature reconvened for a special session on Monday. In the House, we’re working on a number of issues that Minnesotans have asked us to address. Ensuring critical services can continue during the pandemic is a top priority. We’re working on several COVID-19 relief and recovery measures, such as legislation to support disability services providers, to make sure Minnesotans can access the support they need to weather this storm.

We hope to pass a strong Jobs and Local Projects or “bonding” bill that funds priorities like clean water, roads and bridges, higher education, parks and trails, and more. Investing in infrastructure strengthens communities and creates good-paying jobs. This legislation would benefit our entire state and give the economy a boost at a critical time. We’re also working on police accountability and criminal justice reforms. We need to find commonsense solutions to ensure that all Minnesotans can feel safe in their communities. Continue reading “Rep. Patty Acomb (HD44B) Update: July 16, 2020”

Rep. Andrew Carlson (HD50B) Update: July 16, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

Thank you to everyone that joined us and asked questions during our first virtual town hall. If you weren’t able to join us, you can still watch it here. The July Special Session began this week, our second of the year, with many of the same priorities in place. My colleagues and I in the House DFL continue to work on legislation that addresses COVID-19 and its economic impact, invests in a robust jobs and local projects (or “bonding”) bill, and produces police accountability measures that make Minnesota a safe and inclusive state for all. Committees continue to meet this week, and the current plan is that we’ll convene on the House floor on Monday, July 20, to pass legislation. You can always stay up to date one the latest schedules and information on the House Public Information website.

Vote By Mail

Minnesotans regularly lead the nation in voter turnout, and we want to continue that trend by protecting the integrity and safety of our elections. This year, we passed legislation investing in improving accessibility and modernizing election security to prevent interference, and with the uncertain future of COVID-19, we also passed measures to ensure the health and safety of election officials and in-person voters.You can register to vote early by mail here. Continue reading “Rep. Andrew Carlson (HD50B) Update: July 16, 2020”

Rep. Heather Edelson (HD50A) Update: July 16, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

It’s hard to believe we’re halfway through July! I hope you and your family have been staying safe and healthy. All of our individual choices have a great impact on our collective community and I’m grateful for our city’s mask requirement in indoor public spaces.

Special Session Update

The second special session of the year is underway. Legislators gaveled in on Monday to begin another round of negotiations and compromise on additional COVID-19 relief measures, criminal and racial justice reform and police accountability, and a jobs and local projects or “bonding” bill. I am pleased to share the Edina Public Safety training facility upgrade has been included in an agreed upon bonding bill with the Senate Majority. Continue reading “Rep. Heather Edelson (HD50A) Update: July 16, 2020”

Rep. Michael Nelson (HD40A) Update: July 16, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our state. Though Minnesota is not currently experiencing the spike in cases and deaths that we’re seeing in other states, difficult decisions still remain to ensure that stays the case. A decision on schools for the upcoming fall semester is expected soon, and this week saw the beginning of our second special session of 2020, with COVID-19 being a primary issue.

In addition to the pandemic and its economic impact on our state, our work in the Minnesota Legislature includes crafting consensus legislation on a jobs and local projects bill (otherwise known as a bonding bill), as well as public safety accountability measures. You can follow along for the latest on our work on the House Public Information website. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Nelson (HD40A) Update: July 16, 2020”

Rep. Melissa Hortman (HD36B) Update: July 16, 2020


Dear Neighbors,

I hope you and your family are staying safe during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The Legislature is back in Special Session and working on the many challenges currently facing Minnesotans. We continue to see very concerning spikes in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths around the country. The health and safety of Minnesotans is our top priority. This pandemic won’t go away just because we’d like it to. The emergency is still here.

Working toward police accountability and declaring racism is a public health crisis

We need systemic change in policing that ensures police are accountable to the communities they serve. Under my leadership, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed significant police accountability legislation during the June special session. Our efforts in the Minnesota House are being led by Rep. Carlos Mariani, Rep. Rena Moran, and the People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus. Continue reading “Rep. Melissa Hortman (HD36B) Update: July 16, 2020”

Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: July 16, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

This Monday, we started the second legislative special session of the year, meeting again to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While the virus and its economic impact are the chief reasons for Governor Walz calling the legislature back, we’re also using this time to continue advocating for common sense police accountability measures and a jobs and local projects (or “bonding”) bill. You may recall during the previous special session, the Republican-led Senate chose to end the session before we reached an agreement. I am hoping that cooler heads can prevail and we can reach consensus on these vitally important issues in the coming days.

The work continues, with the current plan being that we’ll return to the House floor on Monday, July 20th, to pass legislation. Here’s an update on the latest from St. Paul: Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: July 16, 2020”