Category: State Issues

FOX 9: The need for Digital Infrastructure Upgrades in Minnesota

Minnesotans expect and deserve a government that is accountable to hardworking taxpayers, and works at the speed of business to deliver the services people expect. The funding proposed in Governor Dayton’s budget is targeted to help make Minnesota government work better, by cutting down on the paperwork that gets in the way of everyday life, and ensuring Minnesota state government is responsive to the people it serves. These investments will continue to improve customer service, protect Minnesotans’ data, and secure a strong financial future for our state. 

Strong Cybersecurity Defenses

Every day, Minnesota state government is subjected to millions of cyberattacks that attempt to interfere with state government or illegally access your private information. Thanks to Minnesota’s team of cybersecurity experts, these attempts have been identified and prevented – so far. But as our world grows more connected, our systems need updating to ensure that Minnesotans’ private data is safe and secure. That’s why Governor Dayton wants to invest $74 million to reform our information technology infrastructure and ensure it is up-to-date, safe, and secure: Continue reading “FOX 9: The need for Digital Infrastructure Upgrades in Minnesota”

The Effects of Sanctuary Policies on Crime and the Economy

The following article by Tom K. Wong was posted on the Center for American Progress website January 26, 2017:

AP/Gerald Herbert
The historic Treme section of New Orleans, October 2012.

Introduction and summary

As the Trump administration begins to implement its immigration policy agenda, the issue of local assistance with federal immigration enforcement officials is back in the spotlight. So-called sanctuary jurisdictions are one focus of that debate. Sanctuary counties—as defined by this report—are counties that do not assist federal immigration enforcement officials by holding people in custody beyond their release date.1 Using an Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, dataset obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center,2 the analyses in this report provide new insights about how sanctuary counties perform across a range of social and economic indicators when compared to non-sanctuary counties. Continue reading “The Effects of Sanctuary Policies on Crime and the Economy”

Mexican import tax would be dire for Minnesota industry, trade experts say

The following article by Jim Spencer and Tom Meersman was posted on the StarTribune website January 26, 2017:

Agriculture sector would feel the greatest sting.

If President Donald Trump follows through on a proposal to slap a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports, it could lead to severe consequences for Minnesota’s agriculture sector as well as some of its manufacturers. PHOTO: Bruce Bisping, StarTribune File

If President Donald Trump follows through on a proposal to slap a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports, it could lead to severe consequences for Minnesota’s agriculture sector and some of its manufacturers.

A trade war with Mexico could slow the flow of goods from Minnesota south of the border, a revenue stream that brought $2.4 billion to the state in 2015. Continue reading “Mexican import tax would be dire for Minnesota industry, trade experts say”

Insurance Relief Package Vote

We’re hearing from our DFL Representatives and Senators who voted on the bills giving insurance premium relief. They fought hard to help Minnesotans dealing with premium surges now, and not a year from now.   Continue reading “Insurance Relief Package Vote”

Unidentified ‘woman’ in selfie with senators is, well, our senator

Inauguration Day photo failed to identify Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar.

The following article by Erin Adler was posted on the StarTribune website January 23, 2017:

A photo of a beaming, bespectacled woman in a yellow coat attending President Donald Trump’s inauguration Friday made the rounds on social media this weekend, inspiring jeers, laughs and cries of sexism.

The woman in question poses for a selfie with U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and John McCain, and the photo’s caption identifies her simply as “a woman.” Continue reading “Unidentified ‘woman’ in selfie with senators is, well, our senator”

Minnesota Republican health plan: Lower costs, but really bad insurance

Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa) has never been a fan of health care for the masses. Or at least not Obamacare. Drazkowski has long promised a better way.

You may be able to save money. You just won’t be covered for everything from cancer to Lyme’s disease.

“We need to stop the march toward government takeover and turn directly to supporting individual health care, freedom, and choice,” he wrote in the Rochester Post Bulletin in 2014. “Start by allowing insurance companies… to compete for business. More competition will increase health-care quality and decrease your health insurance expenses.”

But it’s one thing to sit on the sidelines and talk aboput how you could do better. It’s entirely another thing to actually come up with your own plan. Now we know what Drazkowski’s definition of better health care really is. Continue reading “Minnesota Republican health plan: Lower costs, but really bad insurance”

DFL Chair Ken Martin on Donald Trump’s Inauguration

“Today, as Donald Trump becomes president, the Trump Administration will start working to undo all the progress we’ve made over the past 8 years. Their reckless ideas don’t account for the very real people who will be affected by them combined with the unrestrained support by the GOP-controlled Congress creates an unknown level of fear for what our future holds.

“But it’s not about how much we fear the uncertainty. It’s about how we transform that fear into fuel to fight the discrimination and hatred inherent in Trump’s policies so that we can protect the progress we made under President Obama’s bold leadership. Continue reading “DFL Chair Ken Martin on Donald Trump’s Inauguration”

How Republican Budget Cuts Would Make the Opioid Epidemic Even Worse

The following report by Eliza Schultz and Katherine Gallagher Robbins was posted on the Center for American Progress website January 12, 2017:

In 2015, opioid-involved overdoses claimed more than 33,000 lives—a fourfold increase from 1999. Opioid overdoses caused nearly as many deaths in the United States as traffic accidents and twice as many as homicides. The toll of the epidemic is tremendous for those who struggle with addiction, as well as families, communities, and the economy. But while some Republican officials have promised to address addiction and support at-risk populations—President-elect Donald J. Trump pledged in October to provide every individual with addiction “access to the care and the help that he or she needs”—the House Republican agenda will hardly abate the opioid crisis. Instead, it is poised to do immense damage. Indeed, new analysis shows that repeal of the Affordable Care Act alone would strip 222,000 people with an opioid addiction of some or all of their health insurance coverage—and that is not the only way that House Republicans could do damage. Continue reading “How Republican Budget Cuts Would Make the Opioid Epidemic Even Worse”

Republican control of Legislature fuels anxiety among nonprofits

The following article by Shannon Prather was posted on the StarTribune website January 6, 2017:

A Republican leader told organizations: “Be ready to deliver accountability.”

DFL Rep. Rena Moran urged a bold presence at the Capitol.

Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michelle Benson delivered a blunt message Friday to nonprofit leaders seeking state funding: Be prepared to prove your worth.

“When it comes to accessing public dollars, you will want to work really hard to prove what you’ve already done with the dollars you’ve already been given, whether it’s public dollars or private dollars,” said Benson, R-Ham Lake. “Be ready to deliver accountability.”

Benson was one of several state politicians on both sides of the aisle to address more than 200 nonprofit leaders Friday morning at the Minnesota Council on Nonprofits’ annual legislative session preview in St. Paul. Continue reading “Republican control of Legislature fuels anxiety among nonprofits”