This week was Omnibus week at the Minnesota State Capitol which meant 12-14 hour days on the House Floor. This week’s update will focus on those important bills and the many provisions members have worked on over this legislative session. The last day of session is May 17th, set forth by the Minnesota Constitution. This being a budget year, we have the large task of delivering strong, bi-partisan legislation and a balanced budget for our State as the only divided legislature in the Country. In the weeks to come, I will have more details on the final compromise.
I want to acknowledge this week delivered a historic moment verdict in the Chauvin Trial in Minnesota. Derek Chauvin has been held accountable – as more work to improve accountability, transparency and trust continues at the State and local level.
Update on Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Data
This month, we have made extensive progress on vaccinations statewide. I urge you all to get in line for a vaccine shot at your earliest convenience to keep yourself and your neighbors safe! As of April 21st, the statewide data reports bypassing a number of milestones including:
The eyes of the world were on Minnesota this week, while our eyes were glued to the TV as the jury rendered its verdict in the Derek Chauvin murder trial on Tuesday afternoon. The House recessed its floor session and I joined a number of my colleagues in the Speaker’s Capitol office to watch the verdict come in. The collective sigh of relief was followed by a rush of emotion which came to the realization that justice had been done. Lead prosecution attorney Jerry Blackwell is a Bloomington neighbor and fellow resident of our House District, and I am so proud of the work that he and his colleagues did to secure justice in this unprecedented case.
These last two weeks, we have again been forced to confront our state’s issues around systemic racism and injustice for Black, Brown and Indigenous Minnesotans. I am grateful that Derek Chauvin was held accountable for his murderous actions, but just a week earlier we saw the tragic killing of Daunte Wright. We clearly have significant work to do so that Black lives are valued and all Minnesotans are safe in their communities. I encourage you to read the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus’ statements on the killing of Daunte Wright here, and on the guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin here.
Dear Constituents and Friends,We are all mourning the loss of Daunte Wright, another Black man murdered in Minnesota. The rest of the world was already looking at Minnesota, with there are national news services in Minnesota covering the trial of Derek Chauvin. George Floyd, Dolal Idd, and Daunte Wright — three Black men killed in the hands of law enforcement in Minnesota in less than a year.
On Wednesday, I visited Brooklyn Center along with other Minnesota Senate POCI Caucus members. We listened to community leaders and demanded legislative action to protect the lives of Black Minnesotans.
If Black lives matter, then we must pass substantive legislation to protect Black lives. Here are the policy recommendations my fellow Senate POCI members and I believe must be addressed before we go back to normal Senate business or budget negotiations.
Allow local governments to establish civilian oversight councils.
Ban the alteration, erasure, or destruction of body-worn camera recordings and withholding footage.
End qualified immunity.
Prohibit peace officers from affiliating with white supremacist groups.
Provide funding for community organizations working to prevent crime.
We still have time before we sine die for this legislative session on May 17th. There is a month to address and pass substantive legislation to protect Black lives in Minnesota.
I hope you take time to take care of yourself and support those who mourn and grieve the loss of Daunte Wright – a father, son, and member of the community.
Sincerely,
Melisa
Vaccine Update:
This week, the CDC and FDA recommended temporarily pausing further administration of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine out of an abundance of extreme caution. Six people out of the almost 7 million who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine experienced a rare and severe type of blood clot after getting the shot. Currently, none of the Minnesota vaccination sites are using J&J this week, and Minnesota and the CDC/FDA recommend a temporary pause on the J&J vaccine at this time.
All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and FDA are further reviewing these cases.
While these incidents have been extremely rare, if you have received the J&J vaccine and develop a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination you should contact their health care provider.
Minnesota continues to be a nationwide leader in vaccine rollout. As of April 14th, over 50% of individuals 16+ have received their first vaccine (almost 2.2 million). Over 1.5 million Minnesotans have received their full vaccination series
Before all bills with a fiscal impact go to the floor they have to pass through the Finance Committee. As omnibus bills pass out of their committee of primary jurisdiction they will eventually be vetted by the Finance Committee, making it a busy time for the committee. This week, we went from Finance Committee, to Session, and back to Finance Committee. The days are getting longer – with morning meetings starting at 7:45 am and finishing committee at 11:20 pm, you know we are a month away from sine die.
Omnibus bills:
This week on the floor we started to hear the Senate omnibus bills. The following bills passed on the floor and will go to conference committee next. The Senate and the House will take their proposed omnibus bills and negotiate for aspects of each bills. That means that bills will change during negotiations. Certain provisions in the Senate omnibus bill might look different in the House, but in the end we will find something that works. Here are some main takeaways from the Senate omnibus bills:
Higher Education:
Included:
The higher education omnibus budget bill passed on the Senate floor on Wednesday
$45 million in new funds for higher education and increases student grant amounts
Require colleges and universities to honor student transcript requests even if they carried unpaid fees and fines
Hunger Free Campus Grants to help with basic needs such as food shortages, housing and transportation
Increased grants to the College is Possible Program
Basic needs resource hub provision to help a changing student demographic meet the challenges of juggling college and daily life
Missing:
Addressing budget shortfalls for the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State systems.
Commerce, Consumer Protection & Energy:
Included:
Reinsurance – $150 million in taxpayer dollars to health insurance companies with a request – not a requirement – that they do not increase health insurance premiums too much
Missing:
Prevention in catalytic converter thefts by imposing penalties and providing enforcement tools that currently do not exist
A permanent statute protecting consumers from price-gouging during emergencies – 36 other states have this in law currently.
Extending the state’s cold weather rule, which protects low-income Minnesotans from having their utilities shut off during winter months if they are unable to pay their utility bills
Protecting access to landline service for seniors and rural Minnesotans
Meaningful steps towards decarbonization and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state.
Agriculture:
Included:
Expanding border-to-border broadband
Missing:
New or increased funding to support Minnesota’s farmers
Jobs and Workforce Development:
Included:
Small business relief loan guarantee program
Allows a person to qualify for reemployment assistance if they are enrolled in coursework offered by an adult basic education consortium member
Unemployment insurance for secondary students
Unemployment insurance
Missing:
Paid Family and Medical Leave for all Minnesotans
Judiciary and Public Safety
Included:
Voluntary intoxication defense for certain mentally incapacitated cases clarification
Removing the statute of limitations on reporting criminal sexual conduct
Human trafficking penalty increases
Missing:
Provision to prohibit police officers from associating with white supremacist groups
Strengthening hate crime laws to better protect Asian Americans
Police reform and accountability legislation
Gun safety legislation such as universal background checks
Constituent Meetings:
This week I was able to meet with constituents from Mom’s Demand Action, Edina teachers and educators through Education Minnesota lobby day, and howling wolves lobby day.
On Tuesday, I met with Mom’s Demand Action to discuss the future of gun safety legislation in the Minnesota Senate. Here are some the future Mom’s Demand Action community forums:
During Howling Wolves lobby I learned more about SF 1144 – a bill that would prevent wolf trophy hunting. I recently visited the International Wolf Center in Ely where I learned more about efforts to protect wolf populations. I am proud to add my name as a co-author to SF 1144.
I was stunned by the senseless killing of Daunte Wright this week. Brooklyn Center is a suburban city with a progressive Black mayor and, like Bloomington, a founding member of the Joint Community Police Partnership (JCPP). The mission of the JCCP is to enhance communication and understanding between law enforcement and the multicultural residents of the member cities to improve the safety and livability of our communities. The scenario that unfolded leading to Wright’s death is exactly the kind of tragedy that the JCCP program is designed to prevent.
We would all like to think that this couldn’t happen in our own communities, but it is happening in communities just like ours. I’m having trouble reconciling the fact that, on the one hand, I’ve never in 25 years of public service fielded a constituent complaint about a specific case of racial profiling by a member of the Bloomington Police Department; while on the other hand, I don’t have a single Black male friend or colleague who does not tell of having been subjected to a “pretextual stop” for “driving while Black”. Wright was allegedly stopped for having expired registration tabs. Because of pandemic-related appointment backlogs at Driver & Vehicle Services, there are now over 600,000 Minnesotans driving with expired tabs and very few of them are being pulled over.
On Sunday, Daunte Wright – a son, father, nephew and 20 year old Minnesotan was killed by an officer in Brooklyn Center. My heart goes out to his family for their tremendous loss. There is no question that Daunte Wright should be alive today. As a mother, I am both sad and angry over what parents of Black children face every day when they send their children out into the world.
As a public safety committee member, I am committed to policy work that will ensure every Minnesotan is safe – we must address the injustices in our communities that Black, Brown, and Indigenous community members face on a daily basis. This week legislation was proposed that would limit the ability of law enforcement to make stops based solely on minor equipment violations such as expired tabs or having something hanging from the rear view mirror. Many Policing reforms were also passed last Summer after the killing of George Flloyd. The time to address bias that lives in communities is now. We as a State must demand better — each and every one of us has a role to play in keeping all Minnesotans safe.
Minnesota Vaccine Update
Today, 1.5 million Minnesotans are now fully vaccinated. Last week my husband and I received our vaccines at the Minneapolis Urban League – we are most grateful to Nurse Kelly and Black Nurses Rock for all of their tireless efforts in vaccinating Minnesotans.
The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met on Wednesday regarding the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and has noted that the pause will continue for one more week for this vaccine. That said, vaccines continue with Maderna and Pfizer in Minnesota and across the U.S.
MN House of Representatives Passes the Housing Omnibus Bill Thursday Evening
Having a safe and secure place to call home is critical for Minnesotans’ health, economic security, and opportunities for achievement. Stable housing is the foundation for success. Our Housing budget will produce more affordable housing in Minnesota as well as ensure Minnesotans have access to safe and stable housing. A copy of the legislation can be reviewed here.
The next stop for this legislation is to be negotiated with the Senate in a conference committee. The above bill is the House position to start the negotiation. I will post the final results of the conference committee in the next few weeks.
I hope you all had a great last week during the legislative break. While the last few days have been dreary we all know that the warm weather is almost here. The overcast weather matched the mood in the Minnesota Senate this week as we hit our third deadline today. Next week we will start to hear omnibus bills on the floor, you can find the schedule on the Minnesota Senate website.
Governor Walz and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced this week that Minnesota will receive a federal Community Vaccination Clinic, this site will help Minnesota augment the state vaccination efforts. The site will be located at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds and receive over 150,000 doses over eight weeks. Vaccinations will begin at the Fairgrounds on April 14th.
I hope those of you who celebrate Easter had a great weekend, and others were able to relax and enjoy the nice weather in Minnesota over the Spring Break! We are extremely close to the finish line of this pandemic with speedy vaccine distributions and economic recovery. I urge you all to reach out to friends and neighbors negatively impacted by the pandemic; here at the legislature, we are committed to do everything in our power for a renewed sense of normal as we approach the end of the session.
Governor Tim Walz and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced a new federal Community Vaccination Clinic in Minnesota: The site will be located at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds and receive 168,000 doses over eight weeks. It will prepare to administer a combination of Pfizer and J&J doses, which will result in over 100,000 total people being vaccinated during the eight week period. Vaccinations will begin at the Fairgrounds on April 14 and serve Minnesotans living in the highest Social Vulnerability Index zip codes near the Fairgrounds.
Make sure you are signed up for the Vaccine Connector for accessible information and appointments.
Due to the pandemic, drivers whose licenses had expired were given until March 31st to renew their expired drivers licenses. Many people waited until the last minute only to be met by long lines and scarce appointment availability at local deputy Driver & Vehicle Services (DVS) offices. Since the Legislature is away for spring break, this week, there will be no immediate legislative extension of this grace period. If you find yourself in this predicament, the best advice that I can give you, right now, is that you should book a reservation at a local DVS office as soon as you can (the wait might be measured in weeks) and carry a printed copy of the reservation confirmation with you in the car in case you are stopped. There is no guarantee that this will prevent you from receiving a ticket for driving without a valid license, but it’s worth a try.
I would be remiss if I did not also remind you that the new deadline to apply for a “RealID” driver’s license, which will be required for air travel, is now October 1st. The state Department of Driver & Vehicle Services is working on improvements to the application process which will enable you to scan and upload/email/fax your qualifying documents to them, in advance, for verification before you leave for your in-person appointment. This should alleviate the problem of people bringing the wrong set of documents to the office and being turned away. Personally, speaking as someone who has been through the process, the federal instructions are really confusing. Minnesota has simplified its part of the guidelines as much as it can through legislation that I initiated, last session. In addition to regular DVS license bureaus, there is a dedicated RealID application processing office at MSP and this will be the best option for many of us.
The Minnesota Department of Revenue has announced a grace period for taxpayers filing their annual Minnesota Individual Income Tax return for tax year 2020. Those taxpayers now have until May 17, 2021, to file and make their payments without any penalty or interest. This grace period does not include individual estimated tax payments. I’ll have more to say about the State’s tax/fiscal status in another update in the near future.
Vaccine Update
Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan have announced the expansion of vaccine eligibility for people 16 years of age and older starting tomorrow, March 30th. The announcement is in response to the increased supply of vaccines from the federal government. Read more about this development here.
This doesn’t mean that you’re necessarily going to receive a vaccination right away; it means that everyone is now being encouraged to “get in line” by registering with the State’s Vaccine Connector. Both healthcare systems and the operators of the Vaccine Connector will still be prioritizing seniors, vulnerable adults with health complications and frontline workers over the next several weeks.
Yesterday, Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan announced the expansion of vaccine eligibility for people 16 years of age and older starting March 30th. The announcement is in response to the increased supply of vaccines by the federal government to arrive in April.
In the past months, Minnesota has proven to be a national leader in getting shots into arms, and will now be able to step into the final stage of distribution. This week, Minnesota was ranked number one in the country for the percentage of vaccine doses administered to Minneostans. For more information, please check out this article by the Star Tribune.
If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, I encourage you to check out Minnesota’s COVID-19 Vaccine Connector, a tool to help people find out when, where, and how to get a vaccine. It can let you know when you’re eligible to be vaccinated, connect you to resources to schedule a vaccine appointment, and alert you if there are vaccine opportunities nearby. To sign up, visit mn.gov/vaccineconnector or call 833-431-2053.
