SD45 2 , CD3 DFL

House DFLers Highlight Public Safety Budget with Funding, Reform and Justice for Minnesotans

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Thursday, House DFL lawmakers discussed their 2021 Public Safety & Criminal Justice Reform budget bill. The legislation invests in law enforcement, improves police accountability, and listens to the victims of sex crimes.

“Every person deserves to live with human dignity in their community. To deliver on this promise, we have the responsibility to ensure our systems treat all Minnesotans with fairness and respect, while delivering justice,” said Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – Saint Paul), chair of the House Public Safety & Criminal Justice Reform Committee. “In the midst of the Derek Chauvin trial, with the eyes of the world once again upon our state, it’s incumbent upon all of us to listen to Minnesotans and deliver the change they’re seeking so they can experience true public safety, no matter where they live or what they look like. Our work is inspired by the diverse citizens who are stepping up to be part of making communities safe, from multi-racial neighborhood based intervention work to advocates for juveniles and vulnerable adults. We have the ability to deliver critical funding while enacting reforms Minnesotans are counting on, and this bill does exactly that.”

Q&A with Rep. Cedrick Frazier, labor lawyer who replaced longest serving legislator in state history

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.

Rep. Cedrick Frazier (HD45A) Update: March 15, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

It’s an honor to serve our community at the State Capitol. The legislative session began January 5th. I’d like your feedback on the issues that we are discussing this year.

As your Representative, I am committed to ensuring that the State of Minnesota supports all residents as we recover and rebuild from COVID-19. I am focused on policies that will increase access to affordable health care, ensure public safety, work for quality education, expand protections for workers, and create targeted job training and workforce development to ensure economic opportunity and security for all.

If you’d like, please complete and return this survey. Feel free to get in touch with me anytime. I appreciate hearing from you!

Rep. Cedrick Frazier (HD45A) Update: March 12, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

On March 20th at 11 A.M. I will be hosting a Town Hall meeting with Senator Rest and Representative Freiberg to address legislative issues important to our district. I hope you are available to join us on Zoom.

You can RSVP to join on the Zoom call and submit your questions prior to the event on the following google form, or simply watch the live-broadcast of the event my Facebook page.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Rep. Cedrick R. Frazier (HD45A) Update: March 5, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

You can RSVP to join on the Zoom call and submit your questions prior to the event on the following google form, or simply watch the live-broadcast of the event on my Facebook page.

RSVP link: https://forms.gle/Y1jfD8skn6ii4xws7

Kids, workers, businesses — bipartisan tax relief heads to the Senate floor

Senator Ann Rest, DFL lead on the Taxes Committee and co-author of Senate File 263 (Bakk, I, Cook), successfully added a proposal to the bill in the Senate Tax Committee hearing that offers workers receiving unemployment compensation, tax relief at a total one time cost of $30-50 million for 2020. SF 263 conforms to the federal treatment of 2020 COVID-19-related loans to businesses that will not be taxable income to recipients and allows for deductions for various expenses with the nontaxable loans – just like the federal treatment.

The overall bill won unanimous support in the Senate Tax Committee including several of Sen. Rest’s proposals, such as allowing businesses to elect a different filing status for state taxes than they used at the federal level. The overall package is estimated to be $441 million in tax relief for the business provisions.

“Minnesota businesses that received PPP loans last year and used the revenue to keep their workers employed did a great service for our state’s economy,” said Senator Rest (DFL-New Hope). “Congress made special exceptions to allow these forgiven loans, which typically would be taxable, to be tax-exempt for 2020. An improved economic forecast allows bipartisan enthusiastic support for similar forgiveness from Minnesota income taxes. Also, the Senate Tax Committee, under the leadership of Senator Carla Nelson, supported my proposal to extend tax relief to unemployed workers who received jobless benefits last year under the federal CARES Act.”

Rep. Cedrick Frazier (HD45A) Update: February 22, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

According to data reported as of February 19th, the total vaccine doses administered in the state of Minnesota is 1,095,934. The speed of vaccination is picking up to approximately 100,000 people each week, and there have been a series of online tools that make it easier for eligible individuals to schedule appointments and access the latest news on COVID-19 information.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Connector Tool

Minnesota has just launched a new tool to make reliable vaccine updates and COVID-19 related information reach you faster. The COVID-19 Vaccine Connectorwill help Minnesotans find out when, where, and how to get their COVID-19 vaccine.

When you become eligible, the Vaccine Connector will:

Rep. Cedrick Frazier (HD45A) Update: February 10, 2021

Happy Black History Month!

Last week I introduced H.F. 593 , to The House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy Committee which calls on the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board to revise the standards of conduct for peace officers (under Minnesota Statutes, section 626.843, subdivision 1, clause (6)), to prohibit officers from affiliating with, supporting, or advocating for white supremacist groups, causes, or ideologies.

The bill passed the committee 11-7.

7 nays…

You can watch the hearing here starting at 40:23.

Minnesota POCI Caucus Black History Month Statement

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today marks the beginning of Black History Month. The People of Color and Indigenous Caucus (POCI) released the following statement to commemorate Black History Month:

“It is important that we take this month to not only remember and celebrate the rich and meaningful history of Black people in our nation, but to take time to consider the future of Black lives. Black history is being written as we speak, from the incredible organization of Black voters in the 2020 election which resulted in the first female Vice President of color, to the ongoing cries for reform from the historic Black Lives Matter movement. There remains a harrowing distance between the level of Black excellence in this nation, and level of systemic racism that perpetuates cycles of discrimination and increased disparities. Let this be the Black History Month where we choose to elevate Black voices and value Black lives forever more. Let this month, and every month after, be the months where we fight to create a future where Black lives can be lived fully without the burden of oppression, racism, and inequity.”

The People of Color & Indigenous (POCI) Caucus includes Reps. Esther Agbaje (59B), Jamie Becker-Finn (42B), Cedrick Frazier (45A), Aisha Gomez (62B), Hodan Hassan (Vice- Chair 62A), Kaohly Her (64A), Athena Hollins (66B), Fue Lee (59A), Carlos Mariani (65B), Rena Moran (65A), Mohamud Noor (60B), Ruth Richardson (52B), Samantha Vang (Chair, 40B), Jay Xiong (67B), Tou Xiong (53B), and Senators Bobby Joe Champion (59), Omar Fateh (62), Melisa Franzen (49), Foung Hawj (67), Mary Kunesh (41), Patricia Torres Ray (Chair, 63)

Rep. Cedrick Frazier (HD45A) Update: January 26, 2021

Dear Neighbors

Last week was a historical week for our nation with the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman, and woman of color, to take high office in the history of the United States. While we celebrate, it is important that we remind ourselves of the work yet to be done about racial justice, COVID-19 response, and economic recovery.

This week, I want to inform you about some of the steps being taken to better Minnesota by protecting our workers, strengthening democracy, addressing criminal justice and supporting our students. Mark your calendars to join me in the conversation!

Democracy in Crisis: Sunday, January 31, 2021

Join me and Vice Chair of the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Committee, award-winning political scientist and author Dr. Lee Drutman, and U.S. Representative Angie Craig, a leading advocate of government reform and cosponsor of H.R. 1, for a conversation about how we can reform and strengthen our democracy, hosted by FairVote Minnesota.

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The COVID-19 Vaccine Connector Tool

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