Category: SD50

Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: July 9, 2019

Dear Neighbors,

I hope the summer has been treating you well! I wanted to share the new laws that came into effect on July 1st. You can find a comprehensive list of these new laws here. Here’s a highlight of what to look out for:

  • Balanced Budget: The 2019-2020 state budget began on July 1st. Our budget invests $500 million in public education, protects health care for more than 1 million Minnesotans, and makes vital investments in housing across the state.
  • Election Security: Authorizes the state to accept nearly $6.6 million in federal Help America Vote Act funds to assist in beefing up the state’s election security.

Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: July 9, 2019”

Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: July 2, 2019

Our Crisis at the Southern Border and at Home 

As we celebrate our Independence Day this year, I can’t help but think of the humanitarian crisis at our southern border and at home. The ideals our nation was founded upon – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all – tell us that we are better than this.

I have heard from many of you that share a deep concern for what is happening and want to help. Below you will find some information and resources to help you learn, get involved, and share with others.

Last week, the House of Representatives POCI (People of Color and Indigenous) Caucus held an informational hearing to hear from immigration experts who have been to the southern border. We also heard from experts who shared information about immigration issues in our community and their impact on families and children. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: July 2, 2019”

Rep. Andrew Carlson (HD50B) Update: June 28, 2019

Dear Neighbors,

I hope this finds you well! As June comes to a close, I wanted to share with you the new laws that go into effect July 1. Our nonpartisan House Public Information office has put together a comprehensive press release outlining these new laws. You can find a list with more detail of each law here. I’m grateful our investments in Minnesota’s public schools will be secured, our workers will be protected under the strongest wage theft law in the nation, and Big Pharma will be held accountable for their role in the opioid crisis with the newly required manufacturer fees to help with addiction, prevention, and treatment.

Bloomington Summer Fete

On July 3, Bloomington will host its annual Independence Day celebration. This is always a fun tradition my family and I look forward to every year. Festivities will be held at the Normandale Lake Bandshell and begin at 5:00 p.m. There’s a wide variety of family-friendly activities, music, food vendors, and fireworks. You can see the schedule of events here. I hope to see you there! Continue reading “Rep. Andrew Carlson (HD50B) Update: June 28, 2019”

Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: June 3, 2019

Dear Neighbors,

The 2019 Legislative Session has concluded and Governor Walz has signed our new state budget into law.

The final budget represents a compromise between Governor Walz, the DFL-led House and the Republican-led Senate. It’s also a good deal for Minnesotans. We protected health care for more than 1 million vulnerable Minnesotans, made needed investments in education from cradle-to-career, and prioritized economic security for Minnesota families by investing in housing and child care. We secured these victories in the only divided state government in the country, avoiding a protracted budget showdown.

That said, important work went unfinished. Unfortunately, the Republican-led Senate was far more interested in preserving the status quo than moving a forward-looking agenda that invests in Minnesotans and our communities.

So that means we have work to do – to organize and build momentum for important legislation that we will take up in earnest when the 2020 session begins next February. Here are some highlights of our budget as well as an initial “To Do List” for the 2020 session:

HEALTH CARE

  • Protected health care access for 1.2 million Minnesotans, preserving ongoing funding for Minnesotans’ care that was jeopardized by Republican efforts to eliminate it
  • Provided first increase in MFIP family cash assistance in more than 30 years

EDUCATION

  • Invested more than $500 million in E-12 education, providing a “2% and 2%” increase on the general education formula and freezing the special education cross-subsidy
  • Extended pre-K funding, ensuring more than 4,000 young learners have access to quality pre-K in their communities

HOUSING

  • Provided $180 million total investment in housing to increase and preserve affordable housing options throughout the state
  • Invested $3.5 million in Homework Starts with Home, a bill I authored to combat youth homelessness and connect families with rental assistance and support
  • Passed my right-of-first-refusal bill that will protect residents of manufactured homes and bolster the use of manufactured homes to address our affordable housing crisis

ENVIRONMENT

  • Invested in greater research, enforcement, and accountability for chronic wasting disease and aquatic and invasive species
  • Passed “Lawns to Legumes,” securing $900,000 for pollinator friendly yard grants for residents

TAXES

  • Passed federal tax conformity that benefits low and middle-income Minnesotans
  • Invested an increase of $61 million dollars in Local Government Aid, supporting our local communities and helping to hold down property taxes

TO DO LIST FOR 2020 

The Republican-led Senate blocked several important bills that were priorities for many of you. I look forward to working together to move the ball forward on these important bills in the months to come:

  • Pass the Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act and other reforms to make prescription medication more affordable and hold big pharmaceutical companies accountable
  • Enact common-sense gun violence prevention reforms
  • Pass the 100% clean energy by 2050 standard, making Minnesota a national leader in renewable energy
  • Make new investments in housing, specifically to address the loss of naturally occurring affordable housing in our communities
  • Invest in a 21st Century transportation system that addresses roads, bridges and transit needs across the state
  • Restore voting rights for Minnesota felons who have served their time
  • Ban conversion therapy
  • Pass guaranteed paid family leave and earned sick-and-safe time for Minnesota workers
  • Driver’s Licenses for All

Please Stay In Touch
Representing our Richfield and Bloomington communities in the Minnesota House has been an honor this session. I am grateful for all of your input and support and look forward to staying in touch. We expect to hold some issue forums in the coming months to debrief on the progress we’ve made and the important work ahead. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to call or e-mail with a question or idea.  As always, you can reach me at rep.michael.howard@house.mn or at (651) 296-7158.

In partnership,

Michael Howard

Emergency insulin proposal doesn’t survive special session, will be priority in 2020

ST. PAUL — A proposal to require insulin manufacturers to fund a program that offers emergency access to uninsured diabetics or those who can’t afford their medication will have to wait until 2020, lawmakers decided in the early hours of Saturday, May 25.

In a special legislative session, the Minnesota Senate and then the House of Representatives voted down proposals that would offer stopgap insulin supplies for Minnesotans who couldn’t get them otherwise.

The proposals came up as lawmakers weighed the biggest, most complex budget bill that funds health and human service programs, mostly for poor and disabled Minnesotans. The legislation takes up about 40% of the state’s $48 billion, two-year budget.

Sen. Melissa Wiklund, D-Bloomington, narrowly failed in her attempt to get senators to adopt an amendment to help diabetics who cannot afford insulin. Her proposal called for charging insulin makers a fee.

View the complete May 25 article by Dana Ferguson on The Duluth News Tribune website here.

Statement from Rep. Howard on the Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – This morning, Minnesotans learned that despite bipartisan support in the House and Senate for the Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act, Senate Republicans refused to include the provision in the omnibus health and human services omnibus bill. Senator Benson blamed its omission on a clerical error. Nevertheless, Senate Republican Leadership refused to re-open negotiations to reach an agreement. Rep. Michael Howard (DFL-Richfield), author of Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act released the following statement:

“Alec Smith should have been celebrating his 28th birthday this week, but he died rationing his insulin because he couldn’t afford it. We have a responsibility as legislators to do everything in our power to make sure this never happens again. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans have shirked that responsibility and killed the Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act this session.

“This is devastating news for Alec’s parents, Nicole Smith-Holt and James Holt, who have been fighting tirelessly to ensure no one suffers the same fate as their son, and to the thousands of Minnesotans who struggle to afford the insulin they need to survive. It is all the more devastating because there is no compelling reason why we shouldn’t have taken action and passed this bill.

“Senate Republicans passed a version of Alec’s Bill on a vote of 65-0 and the House had offered to accept a position substantially similar. Senate Republicans owe Minnesotans an explanation for why they would go out of their way to stop such an important, life-saving bill that had broad, bipartisan support.

 

“Minnesotans will not accept what is indefensible. We aren’t going anywhere. We will only get louder. We will only get stronger. And we won’t stop until every Minnesotan has access to the insulin they need to survive.”

Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: May 21, 2019

Neighbors,

We’ve demonstrated this week that a divided state legislature, with a lot of discussion and compromise, can get things done to move the needle forward for Minnesotans. We agreed on a state budget, and passed measures to invest in higher education, stop the opioid epidemic, and prevent elder abuse.

I am working to finalize the State Government budget, and have the Senate Majority Leader’s word that the Senate will finally approve the $6.6 million in Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funding given to Minnesota by the federal government to secure our elections from outside interference.

While we’re still finalizing the details of some of our bills, we have a lot to be proud of. 

Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: May 21, 2019”

Rep. Andrew Carlson (HD50B) Update: May 20, 2019

Dear Neighbors,

On Sunday evening, House Speaker Hortman, Majority Leader Gazelka, and Governor Walz announced a two year budget compromise. As one of the only divided legislatures in the country, this agreement is a significant bipartisan step forward to improve the lives of Minnesotans.

The compromise preserves health care funding for over 1 million Minnesotans, makes significant investments in our students and schools, and delivers targeted tax cuts for middle class families.

Conference committees and work groups will continue their work with the opportunity for the public to weigh in. You can find the schedule here.

A Bipartisan Deal on Opioids

Today, a House/Senate conference committee arrived at a bipartisan agreement on compromise legislation aimed at putting a stop to Minnesota’s opioid crisis. Funded through fees paid by drug makers and distributors, the bill invests in new and proven strategies to address opioid use disorders. It also delivers funding to counties for the significant public safety resources they are expending. This is an important step in Minnesota’s fight against the opioid epidemic and I’m glad bipartisan consensus was reached.

I’ll keep you posted as more details of the state budget are ironed out.

Please continue to reach out with any questions, comments, or feedback. I appreciate hearing from you!

Sincerely,
Andrew Carlson
State Representative

Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: May 17, 2019

Dear Neighbors,

There are only a few days left in the legislative session before our constitutional deadline of May 20th. As I write this, Governor Walz, Speaker Hortman, and Senate Majority Leader Gazelka continue to meet to discuss our state budget and work to reach consensus.

This time of session can be frustrating for Minnesotans because political gamesmanship can take the focus away from where it should be – the decisions that will make a difference in the lives of others.

We are continuing to fight for a budget that invests in the things that Minnesotans care about – improving education, increasing access to affordable health care, and making our communities more inclusive and safe. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: May 17, 2019”

Rep. Andrew Carlson (HD50B) Update: May 13, 2019

Dear Neighbors,

We have about a week left in the 2019 session. The Legislature has passed our budget bills and are now working in House/Senate conference committees to sort differences in various finance issue areas. I’d like to highlight key differences in the areas of education and health care.

Education

While some communities have the financial ability to build great public schools through referendums and bigger operating levies, other communities do not. The House DFL budget invests in our students with an increase to the per-pupil formula by 3% in 2020, and another 2% in 2021. The Senate GOP budget barely makes a dent in addressing larger class sizes, special education underfunding, and teacher layoffs with their 0.5% increase over the next two years. All of our kids deserve a world-class education and inaction now will inevitably lead to devastating cuts that hurt future opportunities. Below is a breakdown of what these funding differences would look like for Bloomington schools. Continue reading “Rep. Andrew Carlson (HD50B) Update: May 13, 2019”