SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA. — House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler is meeting with violence prevention groups to discuss a new state grant program dedicated to innovation in community safety. The new state budget appropriates $800,000 for organizations that provide youth, young adult, and family anti-violence outreach programs; offer community healing and wellness; and help address mental health needs.
Members of the press are welcome to attend and should RSVP to matt.roznowski@house.mn to receive details about location of meetings.
What: Meeting to discuss new grant program for innovation in community safety When: Wednesday, July 28 at 5:30pm Who:
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Starting today, House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler is meeting with violence prevention groups to discuss a new state grant program dedicated to innovation in community safety. The new state budget appropriates $800,000 for organizations that provide youth, young adult, and family anti-violence outreach programs; offer community healing and wellness; and help address mental health needs.
Members of the press are welcome to attend and should RSVP to matt.roznowski@house.mn to receive details about location of meetings.
What: Meeting to discuss new grant program for innovation in community safety
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Rep. Rob Ecklund (DFL – International Falls), Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL – South St. Paul), House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL – Golden Valley), Rep. Sydney Jordan (DFL – Minneapolis), Rep. Patty Acomb (DFL – Minnetonka), Rep. Ami Wazlawik (DFL – White Bear Township), Rep. Kelly Morrison (DFL – Deephaven), Rep. Todd Lippert (DFL – Northfield), Rep. Ginny Klevorn (DFL – Plymouth), Rep. Jay Xiong (DFL – Saint Paul), Rep. Heather Keeler (DFL – Moorhead), Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn (DFL – Roseville), Rep. Samantha Vang (DFL – Brooklyn Center), Rep. Fue Lee (DFL – Minneapolis), Rep. Peter Fischer (DFL – Maplewood), Rep. Steve Sandell (DFL – Woodbury), Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL – Coon Rapids), Rep. Liz Reyer (DFL – Eagan), Rep. Erin Koegel (DFL – Spring Lake Park), Rep. Jamie Long (DFL – Minneapolis), Rep. Michael Howard (DFL – Richfield), and Rep. Emma Greenman (DFL – Minneapolis) issued the following statement calling for the resignation of Minnesota Board of Animal Health (BAH) President Dean Compart:
“Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) poses a critical threat to Minnesota’s wild white-tail deer population, and the Board of Animal Health has the responsibility to hold cervid farms in our state accountable for their role in its spread. Unfortunately, by failing to act, the BAH and its leadership have continued to let down those who enjoy deer hunting. Worse, future generations potentially won’t be able to enjoy these cherished traditions if CWD is allowed to spread, and based on the frequency at which the disease is identified in new areas of the state, unless urgent action is taken, it almost certainly will.
“All Minnesotans deserve a healthy deer herd and comprehensive solutions to protect it. If the deer farms won’t be accountable to the BAH, and the BAH won’t be accountable to Minnesotans, it’s time for BAH President Dean Compart to do the honorable thing and resign.”
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — The Minnesota House voted today to allow the state’s medical cannabis program to offer flower, with the Senate expected to follow suit. The change is expected to bring down costs and improve access for what is considered the most restrictive medical program in the nation. Since its establishment in 2014, Minnesota’s medical program has only allowed for liquids, oils, and pills.
“Over the course of 12 public hearings this year and a statewide tour visiting 15 communities, Minnesotans were loud and clear that our state’s medical cannabis program was too expensive, and that allowing flower could significantly improve access,” said Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “As a result of Minnesotans who made their voices heard over the course of years — whether you are a veteran suffering from PTSD, a person with a serious health condition, or a parent with a sick child — more people will gain the ability to live healthy, fulfilled lives. Without Minnesotans’ activism and personal stories, and without a historic vote in the Minnesota House to legalize cannabis for adult use, this accomplishment would not have been possible.”
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Majority Leader Ryan Winkler released the following statement on today’s bipartisan budget agreement:
“I am pleased we have reached an agreement on the framework for a bipartisan budget that prioritizes students, families, workers, and small businesses,” said Speaker Hortman. “After a year of unprecedented challenges, we have the resources to help the Minnesotans who have sacrificed the most while investing in a Minnesota that works better for everyone. This budget makes significant investments in E-12 education to help our students recover from a difficult year and works to close our opportunity gaps. House DFLers also remain committed to including meaningful criminal justice reforms in our final budget. While this agreement does not contain everything we would have liked and the need for ongoing investment in the future remains, we worked together and achieved a compromise that is in the best interests of Minnesotans.”
“Families and workers are finding it more difficult to get ahead. Thanks to President Biden and Democrats in Congress, there are significant resources to help Minnesotans who are struggling the most, but it doesn’t change the fact that Minnesotans’ needs are not being met by current levels of investment,” said Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “For too long, Minnesota put the rich and well-connected first. Thanks to the House DFL Majority and Governor Walz, Minnesota is now moving in a direction that provides a world-class education, affordable child care, and financial security for all — no matter where you live or what you look like.”
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Majority Leader Ryan Winkler released the following statements on Governor Walz’s timeline to end COVID-19 restrictions:
“Minnesotans have done a great job rolling up their sleeves and getting vaccinated, and that has gotten us close to the end of this pandemic,” said Speaker Hortman. “It’s my hope that Minnesotans continue getting vaccinated so that we can stay ahead of any variants, get our state fully opened, and get back to the things we have missed since COVID-19 started.”
“With new leadership in the White House and Minnesota’s robust public health infrastructure leading the nation in vaccine distribution, the end of this pandemic is near,” said Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “From the start, Republican politicians told Americans COVID-19 was ‘just the flu’ and Donald Trump told us it would go away ‘like a miracle.’ Democrats are defeating COVID because we have taken a public health approach informed by scientists, not armchair epidemiologists.”
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA– Today, the Minnesota House approved an orderly off ramp of the eviction moratorium declared by Gov. Walz last year that will prevent a wave of evictions while ensuring landlords are made whole for rent that is owed to them. The bill provides a roadmap to transition off the current residential eviction moratorium by ensuring renters have enough time to access federal funding for rental assistance when the COVID-19 related peacetime emergency ends and provides clarity to the process.
“As more vaccines become available, the pandemic is easing, yet there are still many of our neighbors who are unemployed and face the risk of eviction.” said Rep. Alice Hausman (DFL-Saint Paul), chair of the Housing Finance and Policy Committee. “The eviction moratorium reduced the spread of COVID-19 and protected the most vulnerable Minnesotans from the threat of losing their home. We must continue to protect those Minnesotans once the eviction moratorium is lifted, and this bill provides a realistic timeline for both landlords and tenants to access the rental assistance that will keep people in their homes.”
“We hope the end of the pandemic is in sight, but we don’t want to replace a public health crisis with an eviction and housing crisis for Minnesotans,” said House Speaker Melissa Hortman. “Stable housing is the foundation for success for individuals and families. We must ensure a smooth, stable transition as we get to a post-COVID world and the end of the eviction moratorium.”
Senator Ron Latz (DFL-Saint Louis Park), ranking DFL Lead on the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee releases the following statement in regards to the police reform hearings that Senate Republicans have promised to hold this session:
“Yesterday, the POST Board voted in favor of banning officers from serving who belong to extremist organizations including those groups espousing white supremacy. An amendment to do just that was defeated by Senate Republicans when offered to the Judiciary bill. Senate Republicans said they condemn white supremacists but wouldn’t vote to do so. Hate groups don’t get a say in our state. We must keep moving forward to enact reforms like the Minnesota POST Board did.
“Sen. Gazelka has now walked back on his promise to our citizens. Pushing the issue into a conference committee is a cop out: it will have limited participation and essentially cuts out a large contingent of Senators who deserve to be heard on these issues. Nevertheless, I continue to be ready to do the work we are elected to do and will do so in the conference committee as well.”
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Today the U.S. Census Bureau released new data to determine each state’s number of congressional seats and Electoral College votes for the next decade. Minnesota’s number of congressional seats remains unchanged at eight. Data released today is not used to determine new boundaries for new legislative districts.
“Minnesota has a long history of good government and strong civic engagement. Thanks to Minnesotans’ excellent response to the census, Minnesota has retained eight Congressional districts. This is an important achievement for all of us. Congressional district allocation from the Census Bureau is an early and important step in Minnesota’s redistricting process. Minnesotans deserve an open and transparent redistricting process that results in a fair map,” said Speaker Hortman. “House Redistricting Chair Mary Murphy is well-qualified to take on this important work. She has the trust of Minnesotans in both parties and has an unassailable reputation for fairness. Now we anxiously await additional population data from the Census Bureau that is essential for the House Redistricting Committee to draw new districts.”
“Minnesotans expect their Legislature to draw fair maps and involve the public in drawing those maps,” said Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “The census data released today makes clear how important that work is, and we are committed to district maps that all Minnesotans can trust and have confidence in.”
This week the Senate continued to pass budget bills. Last week, the Senate passed the Judiciary and Public Safety omnibus – the committee on which I serve as the ranking DFL member. The committee was given a $90 million target, which allows for some investments in the state’s court and corrections system, and in some public safety requests. Of the target, $20 million was reserved for disaster assistance for our local communities.
The bill, however, is a stark portrait of what the Senate Majority’s priorities aren’t; the bill contains no policing and criminal justice reform, no expansion of proven justice programs, and little in the way of reducing the intersectional causes behind crime and recidivism.
