State Issues 28 , CD3 DFL

Walz: All Minnesota schools should offer at least some in-person learning by March 8

All districts should have some form of it in place by March 8

All Minnesota schools should offer some form of in-person instruction by March 8, Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday, announcing a move he characterized as “critical” for students’ and families’ well-being, mental health and economic stability in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Many districts have already started bringing secondary school students back to classrooms, and Walz said other middle and high schools could reopen as soon as Feb. 22.

A majority of the state’s elementary schools are already providing face-to-face instruction, following an earlier pivot by state officials to prioritize in-person learning for the youngest students. Continue reading.

Rep. Moller presents ‘Sheyla’s Law’ to strengthen justice for Guard members who experience sexual assault

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Tuesday, the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance & Policy Committee held a public hearing on Sheyla’s Law, legislation authored by Rep. Kelly Moller (DFL – Shoreview) to strengthen justice for members of the Minnesota National Guard who experience sexual assault at the hands of another Guard member. The bill transfers investigations of sexual assault where the victim and the accused are both members of the Guard to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The bill is named for Specialist Sheyla Scholl, a constituent of Rep. Moller who attempted to report a sexual assault that occurred at the hands of another Guard member on the night of her Advanced Individual Training graduation in 2016. She was initially discouraged from reporting the incident by local law enforcement, but followed through with the report over a year later when encouraged to do so by another survivor of the same perpetrator. The investigation lasted two and a half years, taking a significant toll on herself and her family.

“After talking to Sheyla and other survivors, it’s clear the inconsistencies of investigations at the local level creates challenges for survivors themselves and for the investigation by the military that follows,” Rep. Moller said. “This bill helps improve justice by both streamlining the investigation process while addressing the unique issues involving rank and position of authority within the military. I’m incredibly grateful for the bravery from Sheyla and the other survivors to push for the necessary changes this bipartisan legislation makes.”

DFL Responds to Doug Wardlow’s Second Run for Attorney General

“Wardlow is a right-wing extremist who will do anything for political power.

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Today, Minnesota DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement in response to failed attorney general candidate Doug Wardlow’s second run for the office:

“Doug Wardlow is a right-wing extremist who will do anything for political power. When Minnesotans heard Wardlow’s plan to politicize the office of Attorney General by purging all DFLers from it, and when Minnesotans saw Wardlow take $24,000 from business owners who defrauded their customers, they agreed that Wardlow was unfit to serve as Attorney General.

“Since his defeat, Doug Wardlow has only gotten more extreme and more dangerous. Wardlow currently serves as general counsel to Mike Lindell, where he provides legal advice to a man who wants to use the United States military to stage a coup and forcefully overturn a free and fair election. The last thing Minnesotans want is a far-right extremist who does not believe in democracy like Doug Wardlow to serve as our Attorney General.”

Click here to read more on Wardlow’s history of extremism and bigotry, and his plans to politicize the office of attorney general.

Exclusive: GOP governor Kristi Noem, potential Trump successor, used state aircraft for tens of thousands of dollars in political travel

Newly unearthed flight logs show South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem used a state airplane to travel to right wing political events around the country, a revelation that has state lawmakers questioning whether she violated a state law forbidding political and personal use of the aircraft.

The flight logs, published for the first time in this report, raise questions about the propriety of tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of taxpayer-funded flights to out-of-state events hosted by groups such as the National Rifle Association, Turning Point USA, and an organization affiliated with the late GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, South Dakota politicians and experts told Raw Story.

Also in question is whether Noem wasted taxpayer money by having the state airplane pick her up for official business when she was living at her family home in Castlewood, rather than in the governor’s residence in Pierre, the state’s capital where the airplane is kept. In one case, the airplane picked her up from her daughter’s wedding in the far west part of the state.

NOTE: Gov. Noem is the keynote speaker at the Minnesota Republican Party’s Lincoln Dinner next month.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: February 12, 2021

Governor Walz Orders Flags Flown at Half-Staff to Honor Victims of Buffalo Tragedy

On Wednesday, Governor Tim Walz directed all flags at state and federal buildings in Minnesota to be flown at half-staff, effective immediately, until sunset on Sunday, February 14, 2021 in honor of the victims of the senseless tragedy that resulted in one lost life and four others injured at Allina Clinic Crossroads in Buffalo, Minnesota on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.

“Minnesota flags will fly at half-staff through Sunday to honor the loss of Medical Assistant Lindsay Overbay and those who were injured and the at Allina Clinic in Buffalo,” said Governor Walz. “As we grieve this senseless tragedy, let us also honor their work to keep Minnesotans safe and healthy.”

Gov. Walz scales back some COVID-19 restrictions in Minnesota

Caps on indoor gatherings such as wedding receptions increased from 10 people up to 50.

Gov. Tim Walz is scaling back indoor crowd restrictions, designed to slow the spread of COVID-19, amid improving measures of pandemic activity.

Wedding receptions and private indoor gatherings can increase, as of noon Saturday, to 50 people rather than 10 — though facilities still can’t exceed 25% of their fire code capacity. Similarly, restaurants can host up to 250 people, but must operate at no more than 50% of capacity and maintain social distancing of groups.

Restaurants also can remain open until 11 p.m. instead of 10 p.m., despite concerns that viral transmission happens in later hours when customers become less cautious. Continue reading.

UBLC lawmakers announce 2021 Legislative Agenda

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – On Wednesday, the United Black Legislative Caucus announced its 2021 Legislative Agenda aimed at eliminating racial inequities and helping Black Minnesotans bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. The priorities are aimed at addressing disparities regarding economic opportunity, housing, education, health and human services, public safety, transportation, and environmental justice.

“The challenges facing Black Minnesotans are numerous, persistent, and urgent, and have been greatly compounded by COVID-19’s impacts on their health and economic security,” said Rep. Rena Moran (DFL – Saint Paul), UBLC co-chair. “Black Minnesotans deserve bold progress to eliminate disparities rather than incremental changes, and this agenda represents actions lawmakers can take this year to ensure everyone can share in our state’s success.”

“Even before the pandemic, Minnesota had some of the worst racial disparities in the nation,” said Rep. Ruth Richardson (DFL- Mendota Heights), co-chair of the UBLC. “The agenda we are bringing forward today is an important step forward in closing critical gaps for Black Minnesotans to ensure we all have an opportunity to succeed and thrive. There are significant annual economic costs to the state by failing to address these disparities and it continues to lead to a less prosperous Minnesota for all.”

The agenda includes many important actions lawmakers can take to strengthen the future for Black Minnesotans such as:

·Removes barriers to economic security, including high unemployment rates, a significant wage gap, barriers to starting a business, and systemic roadblocks towards building generational wealth.
Tackles the systemic racism Black Minnesotans have faced in homeownership through redlining, displacement, and barriers to capital, in addition to facing discrimination as renters.
Invests in students to help them achieve, including measures to address Minnesota’s opportunity gap – the worst in the nation – and COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on Black learners.
Addresses key health disparities, including poor maternal and child health outcomes.
Ensures investments in transportation infrastructure consider the needs of Black communities toward our entire region’s success.
Focuses on reforming Minnesota’s legal system to address disproportionately harmful impacts on the Black community.
Delivers economic justice by recognizing Black neighborhoods are disproportionately subject to air and water pollution and live and work in areas more vulnerable to certain climate-related disasters.

At the start of the current legislative session, membership of the UBLC grew from six to 10, with eight House members and two senators, highlighting an increasing diversity among lawmakers better reflective of their constituencies. The UBLC’s legislative priorities build upon the work of the House Select Committee on Racial Justice – which Rep. Moran and Rep. Richardson co-chaired in 2020 – which issued a series of recommendations to address systemic racism.

More information about the UBLC’s priorities can be accessed on this fact sheet. Video of the caucus’s press conference will be available on House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel.

Senate DFL Week in Review: February 12, 2021

PROTECTING DEMOCRACY
and everything happening in the Legislature this week.

Senate DFL members hold press conference calling on Senate to pass SR 21

A violent attack took place on January 6of this year at the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C. leading to five deaths and over 50 injuries. This attack took place during the process of final certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election and represented a direct attack on American democracy. Read more >>

DFLers prepare to ensure Minnesotans’ safety

Extraordinary events across the nation over the last year have highlighted the reality that emergency situations can happen anywhere and at any time, often with little notice. The state of Minnesota has a Disaster Contingency Account to help local communities recover from natural disasters and unforeseen circumstances. Read more >>

House Transportation Committee Examines Climate Impacts on Transportation

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota House Transportation Finance Committee examined climate impacts on transportation in Minnesota. According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the state.

“It was important for our committee to hear the science-driven data from various climate experts regarding the intersection of climate and transportation,” said Chair Frank Hornstein (DFL-Minneapolis). “We must be intentional about the action we can take now to combat the effects of climate change for future generations.”

Climate experts and advocates in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors shared presentations to the committee, including: Frank Kohlasch, Climate Director of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; Chris Clark, President, Xcel Energy Inc., Co-Chair – MnDOT Sustainable Transportation Advisory Council; Bree Halvorson, with BlueGreen Alliance; and Paul Douglas, Senior Meteorologist and founder of Praedictix.

House Democrats propose new pandemic assistance to help laid-off hospitality and service sector workers

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Rep. Andrew Carlson (DFL-Bloomington) and House Democrats are proposing new legislationto help laid-off hospitality and service sector workers return to their jobs. It’s one of many immediate actions that House Democrats are proposing to respond to the needs of workers, families, and small businesses hit hardest by the pandemic. High-quality video and audio of this virtual press conference will be available here this afternoon.

“In 2020, many of us had to cancel our travel plans for graduation, summer vacation, Thanksgiving, Christmas and so on. However, behind these visible personal impacts are our hospitality workers that are hit hard by the pandemic due to restaurant, hotel and airport layoffs.” said Rep. Carlson. “We need to pass legislation that will create a pathway forward to economic recovery for Minnesotans, especially communities of color who make up 71% of displaced hospitality workers. My new bill will ensure that these workers are heard and supported by their state government.”

Rep. Carlson’s bill applies to Minnesotans employed by hotels, airports, and event centers; the facilities attached to them, including restaurants, bars, and retail; as well as related services, including maintenance, security, ticketing, ground-handling, and food and beverage services. It also applies to an enterprise providing maintenance and security services to office, retail, or commercial buildings, like a staffing agency.

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Governor Walz Orders Flags Flown at Half-Staff to Honor Victims of Buffalo Tragedy

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