Category: Minnesota Legislature

Minnesota House Advances Resolution Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — A Minnesota House of Representatives committee yesterday advanced a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis, with a final vote on the House floor likely to occur Monday, July 20. Click here to download a copy.

Authored by Rep. Ruth Richardson (DFL-Mendota Heights), 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.

“Black, Indigenous, and people of color have known for generations that the systems in this country were designed to exclude them,” said Rep. Richardson. “The devastation we are seeing in our communities today is the result of those systems playing out for hundreds of years.” 

The resolution states that racism is embedded in the foundation of America, beginning with chattel slavery​ in 1619, and that much of the Black experience in America has been endured under slavery and​ Jim Crow, which created preferential opportunities for white people while subjecting people of​ color to hardships and disadvantages in every area of life.

“The Minnesota House as an institution can and should play an active role in dismantling systems that have denied dignity, respect, and compassion to so many,” said House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “Our nation is facing a historic moment and the Minnesota House plans to be on the side of justice and human rights.” 

Video of today’s Rules Committee discussion of the resolution will soon be available here.

 

Lawmakers clash over Gov. Tim Walz’s emergency powers during pandemic

Disagreement about Walz’s extension threatens action on infrastructure spending.

Minnesota lawmakers returned to the State Capitol on Monday hoping to resolve continuing partisan differences on police accountability, a major public works package and several tax and spending measures.

But first they faced off over Gov. Tim Walz’s decision to extend his emergency powers for another 30 days to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, a move that prompted the second legislative session of the summer, just four months ahead of the November elections.

As expected, the Republican-led Senate quickly passed a resolution to rescind the DFL governor’s emergency powers, which have become entangled in negotiations over police reform and a massive infrastructure borrowing package. The vote was 36-31, with only one lawmaker, DFL Sen. Kent Eken, DFL-Twin Valley, crossing party lines. Continue reading.

Minnesota House DFL Releases Jobs & Local Projects and Critical Economic Development Legislation

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA— Yesterday, the House DFL released a Jobs and Local Projects — also known as bonding — and tax proposal. The critically-needed economic development legislation contains $1.8 billion in public safety and health renovations, repairs, and replacement of public assets like higher education institutions, clean water infrastructure, correctional facilities, roads and bridges, parks and trails, municipal buildings and more. The bill would create approximately 27,540 jobs according to a revised 2015 model from the Bureau of Economic Analysis at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

A copy of the proposal can be found here. A spreadsheet of the projects included is available here. The bill will receive a public remote hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday.

“Many of the projects contained in this proposal today are the direct results of what we saw and heard on our statewide tours,” said Chair Mary Murphy (DFL-Hermantown). “We are responding to the emergencies of today, and I’m hopeful we can deliver more sorely needed investments in a future session to prepare us for the needs of tomorrow.” Continue reading “Minnesota House DFL Releases Jobs & Local Projects and Critical Economic Development Legislation”

DFL Party Blasts Senate GOP for Voting to End State of Emergency

DFL to Paul Gazelka: Emergency Is Not Over

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, Minnesota Senate Republicans voted to end the state of emergency that Minnesota is using to combat COVID-19. Prior to that vote, Senator Paul Gazelka declared that “the emergency part of this pandemic is over.”

This comes despite the fact that over 3.3 million Americans, or 1 in every 100 Americans, has tested positive for COVID-19, and despite the fact that the United States is regularly breaking records for the number of positive cases that come in every day. Amidst this surge, the COVID-19 death rate has started to increase again after months of slowly declining. Continue reading “DFL Party Blasts Senate GOP for Voting to End State of Emergency”

Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: July 13, 2020

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I hope you and yours are safe and healthy. I wanted to inform you of a vote I took today during our second special session. I have voted in the past to open the state and end the Governor’s emergency powers as we had the curve under control with COVID. However, as we have progressed we have seen the numbers begin to climb in regards to cases within our state. Part of this may be because of other states having less safety measures and travel between them and ourselves. Part of it may be to safety policies not being followed as we have begun to open up as a state. There may be a variety of other reasons but what we do know is the numbers, and we need the ability to respond in real time to address this issue and cease the climb and instead bring the numbers back down.

That is why I have now voted to extend the peace time emergency powers of the Governor and released a public statement you can see below that expresses the many important protections in place right now due to the current executive orders, that if the peacetime emergency ends they will all end as well. Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: July 13, 2020”

Book Review: Senator Steve Cwodzinski’s Beyond the Lesson Plan

ecades ago, on a driving trip, I listened to a recording of Oliver Sacks reading his book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. His voice (both literal and literary) was so distinctive that, for years afterward, anytime I would read anything he wrote, I would, in my head, hear him reading it aloud. I have heard other authors, even listened to some reading their work, but this bit of synesthesia has never repeated itself until a few days ago, when I started Beyond the Lesson Plan by Steven Cwodzinski. The warmth, the openness, the earnestness, the simultaneous erudite sophistication and childlike simplicity – all this could only come from one person. And then there are the corny jokes. A warning: be looking ahead for “But I digress!” If you see these words a few paragraphs on, brace yourself!

The book is organized into 33 chapters, one for each year of Mr Cwodzinski’s teaching/learning career. (He presents teaching as a reciprocal engagement between the nominal teacher and students.) Each chapter title is a question, and the chapter investigates the question. The first chapter reveals an event that changed the life of the author: a car accident during his senior year in high school, followed by months of hospitalization, a renaissance of spirit, and a newfound sense of purpose. Later chapters feature stories of the search for his biological father, his proposal and marriage, his children, his travels, his campaign and his three years (so far!) as a state senator. These are interspersed with many, many stories about the classroom, which, in turn, are interspersed with philosophical ponderings and exhortations to our better angels. And did I mention the corny jokes? Continue reading.

Solving the Puzzle Pieces

Since FDR, we Democrats have always stood for workers’ rights, civil rights, farmers’ rights, voting rights, women’s rights and gay rights.  Today, we continue those causes along with educational opportunity, affordable health care and safer communities for all.

I believe that the purpose of life is to solve as much of the puzzle as possible before we pass.

Democrats we all share the same goal:  To leave this world a better place than when we came upon it. Continue reading.

 

Special session No. 2 to begin Monday

For the second time in as many months the House and Senate will meet in a special session.

Gov. Tim Walz has issued a proclamation calling the Legislature back to St. Paul at noon Monday, and he will extend the COVID-19 peacetime emergency by 30 days to help the state continue to respond to the pandemic.

Walz is urging members to pass a “robust” capital investment package, police reform and accountability measures and assistance for businesses impacted by civil unrest following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd. Continue reading.

Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: July 10, 2020

Neighbors,

Please take a couple of minutes to fill out my summer survey about relevant issues in our community and state. Your input is important – thank you! Click on this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DK873Z3

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Special Session next Monday

Governor Walz has called our second special session for this Monday, July 13. Among unfinished business up for consideration is the bonding bill, police accountability measures and COVID-19 related items to protect the health and safety of Minnesotans. I look forward to making progress on issues that impact so many throughout the state. Continue reading “Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) Update: July 10, 2020”

Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B) Update: July 10, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

I hope you had an enjoyable 4th of July holiday weekend and are staying cool in the heat. Summertime typically doesn’t include much work at the Minnesota Legislature, but this year is anything but typical and we find ourselves preparing to return for another special session next week.

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While the ongoing pandemic is the main reason for this July special session, I’ll also be pushing for compromise on legislation to address meaningful police accountability measures, a robust jobs and local projects bill (also known as a bonding bill), and a tax bill that puts Minnesotans first. These are all proposals that will help our state face not only the economic struggles brought on by the pandemic, but address systemic inequities that have existed for far too long. Continue reading “Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B) Update: July 10, 2020”