Category: Minnesota Legislature

Rep. Carlie Kotyza-WItthuhn (HD48B) Update: June 25, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

The end of our first special session this last weekend had a mixed bag of results for Minnesota. Having initially been called to address the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, the recent killing of George Floyd and subsequent unrest made public safety and criminal justice reform an additional priority of our work this special session. It was a long week of working on urgent and important measures, but our efforts were unfortunately cut short when the Republican-led Minnesota Senate adjourned without a compromise on key pieces of legislation, effectively halting our work in the House as well.

Solutions to both the impacts of COVID-19 and the social justice inequities in our public safety system won’t be easy to craft, but we can’t enact change or provide resources unless all parties are willing to come to the table to work. I remain committed to fighting for these much-needed changes, and I’ll be pushing for compromise to be reached. Should Governor Walz decide to extend the peacetime state of emergency, the Minnesota Legislature will be called to meet again in July, and possibly earlier if consensus can be reached on other critical issues. I’ll be sure to keep you updated as we learn more. Continue reading “Rep. Carlie Kotyza-WItthuhn (HD48B) Update: June 25, 2020”

Minnesota House POCI Caucus responds to Sen. Gazelka’s announcement of “oversight hearings” about recent unrest

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Members of the People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus in the Minnesota Legislature issued the following statement in response to Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka’s Thursday morning press conference:

“If oversight of law enforcement is the goal, Senate Republicans must quickly join the POCI Caucus to advance real criminal justice reforms. Why – five days after Senate Republicans walked away from this serious work – hasn’t Senator Gazelka yet responded to the House’s counteroffer during the special session to meet demands of the people for police accountability?

“There will be time to address the civil unrest that occurred in the days following George Floyd’s senseless killing, but the work to enact transformative, systemic changes within law enforcement is urgent, and Black, Indigenous, and communities of color can’t wait any longer for change. Senate Republicans have a duty to resume these critical discussions right now, or status quo systems that have failed Minnesotans for generations will continue to prevail.”

Today marks the one month anniversary of the murder of George Floyd.

The People of Color & Indigenous (POCI) Caucus includes Reps. Jamie Becker-Finn (42B), Aisha Gomez (62B), Hodan Hassan (62A), Kaohly Her (64A), Mary Kunesh-Podein (41B), Fue Lee (59A), Alice Mann (56B), Carlos Mariani (65B), Rena Moran (65A), Mohamud Noor (60B), Ruth Richardson (52B), Samantha Vang (40B), Jay Xiong (67B), Tou Xiong (53B), and Sens. Melisa Franzen (49), Foung Hawj (67), Jeff Hayden (62), Bobby Joe Champion (59), and Patricia Torres Ray (63).

 

Rep. Steve Elkins (HD49B) Update: June 24, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

The Minnesota Legislature went into a special session on June 12, 2020 with the hopes of passing some much needed legislation. The House DFL, and the POCI caucus in particular worked incredibly hard to craft and pass legislation from repairing and renewing our aging infrastructure, to reforming our public safety system. While our position as legislators is designed to be “part-time,” I see it as our duty to stick around if urgent action is needed. Even though the Senate Republicans decided to pack up and go home, I am committed to coming back for future special sessions to pass these critical bills. Here is what we were working on before this special session ended.

Minnesota Police Accountability Act of 2020

The House DFL recognizes that we need systemic reform if we are to ever have a public safety system that makes all Minnesotans safer and the House was able to pass a comprehensive package of policing reforms in this special session. However, our Republican colleagues aren’t yet on board with all of these reforms and they did not pass in the Senate. Negotiations with the Senate leadership will continue and we are hopeful of coming to an agreement in time for the next special session, which is inevitable sometime in the next few weeks.

Here is the full list of reforms the House passed: Continue reading “Rep. Steve Elkins (HD49B) Update: June 24, 2020”

Rep. Heather Edelson (HD49A) Update: June 23, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

Governor Tim Walz today announced the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is now accepting applications for the $62.5 million Small Business Relief Grants Program for businesses impacted by COVID-19, which he signed into law last week.

Eligible businesses with 50 or fewer employees may apply for grants of up to $10,000. The money will be evenly distributed between businesses in Greater Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro, with at least $10 million to go to minority-owned businesses, $2.5 million to veteran-owned businesses, and $2.5 million to women-owned businesses.

An additional $2.5 million is allocated by law for grants of up to $250,000 each to operators of cultural malls to maintain existing tenants. This will be a separate application process, and DEED will provide more information this week at mn.gov/deed/relief. Continue reading “Rep. Heather Edelson (HD49A) Update: June 23, 2020”

Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: June 23, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

Last week the legislature met in special session. In the House we worked quickly to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well as policing accountability reform in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.

The House passed the Minnesota Police Accountability Act of 2020, informed by the shared experiences and expertise of groups that are too often left out of the conversation here at the State Capitol. With the spotlight on Minnesota, these were measures that would have made our state a leader in true, equitable justice. The main components were:

  • Reclaiming Community Oversight
    • Putting power into the hands of the people and neighborhoods that police officers are sworn to serve and protect.

Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: June 23, 2020”

Sen. Jerry Newton (SD37) Update: June 23, 2020

2020 Special Session

The closing of the special session without completing all of the major work Minnesotans expected us to accomplish is extremely disappointing. We failed to pass a bonding bill that would have guaranteed jobs and made much needed improvements to our state’s infrastructure. We didn’t reach a compromise on long overdue law enforcement reforms. Also, no CARES bill was agreed upon that would have provided needed funding for cities and counties dealing with the COVID crisis. This session was quite possibly the worst I have seen in 26 years of serving my community.

There is no use pointing fingers. There is more than enough blame to go around. We need to regroup as a legislature and continue to work on compromises that will move our state forward. We as legislators should not wait until the next special session to get back to work. This is the time to work things out now through zoom legislative meetings and in person meetings of the leaders in the House, Senate, and Governor’s Office.

Youth and Adult Sports Guidance

Recently the MN Department of Health announced new guidance recommending that youth sports games and scrimmages will resume June 24th or later for outdoor sports, and July 1st or later for indoor sports. Continue reading “Sen. Jerry Newton (SD37) Update: June 23, 2020”

Rep. Zack Stephenson (HD36A) Update: June 22, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

Very early Saturday morning, the Minnesota Senate adjourned the special session. The Senate left the Capitol despite the fact that virtually all of the major work Minnesotans expect us to accomplish remains undone. The job and local projects or “bonding” bill, criminal justice and public safety reform, COVID-19 funding– all of these issues and more remain unresolved. I am angry and frustrated. We were only in special session for one week. Quite simply, that is not a sufficient amount of time to devote to such important subjects. The fact that the Senate threw up their hands and walked away from the table in this critical moment is just inexcusable.

I think we should return to session as soon as possible and stay in session until the job is done. I have expressed my views to Governor Walz and House leadership, and I stand ready to continue this important work.

This is a crucial time in our state, and Minnesotans are calling on us to do the hard work to enact meaningful measures that protect public health and our economy during COVID and beyond, in addition to long overdue criminal justice reforms – like those from the POCI Caucus that we advanced in the House – right now. Minnesotans expect and deserve results from the leaders that they elected. Continue reading “Rep. Zack Stephenson (HD36A) Update: June 22, 2020”

Rep. Heather Edelson (HD49A) Update: June 22, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

The special session concluded early Saturday morning after the House negotiated all night with the Senate on the Policing Accountability, CARES Act federal funding, and a jobs and local projects or “bonding” bill.

Unfortunately, an agreement could not be reached which means the legislature will reconvene in mid-July. Hopefully at that point a meaningful bipartisan compromise can be reached.

If I’m honest, I am disappointed. We must do better should we reconvene in July to deliver for Minnesotans.

Here’s an overview of the House proposals we passed without Senate support: Continue reading “Rep. Heather Edelson (HD49A) Update: June 22, 2020”

Rep. Patty Acomb (HD44B) Update: June 22, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

A little over a week ago, Governor Walz called my colleagues and I back to the Capitol for a special session. Here’s a brief update on what we accomplished and remaining challenges:

Assistance for Small Businesses

When the House reconvened, our first order of business was approving $62.5 million in grants for small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill includes $60 million from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and $2.5 million from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Emergency Loan Program. Under the bill, which Governor Walz signed into law on Tuesday, small businesses with 50 or fewer employees can receive grants up to $10,000. Priority will be given to Minnesota’s smallest businesses and those that were required to operate at 50 percent capacity or less. Continue reading “Rep. Patty Acomb (HD44B) Update: June 22, 2020”

Rep. Erin Koegel (HD37A) Update: June 22, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

The Minnesota Legislature went into a special session on June 12, 2020 with the hopes of passing some much needed legislation. The House DFL, and the POCI caucus in particular worked incredibly hard, day in, day out, to craft and pass legislation our state desperately needs. Even though the Senate Republicans decided to pack up and go home, I am committed to coming back for future special sessions to pass these critical bills. Here is what we were working on before this special session ended.

Minnesota Police Accountability Act of 2020

The House DFL recognizes that we need massive systemic reform if we are to ever have a public safety system that makes all Minneostans safer. Our Republican colleagues refused to join us in calling for these changes and are unwilling to listen to our perspective. We have laid the groundwork and can envision the Minnesota that we need, and it is a fight we will continue, but this may be a problem that will have to wait until November to be solved. Here is the full list of reforms the House hoped to pass: Continue reading “Rep. Erin Koegel (HD37A) Update: June 22, 2020”