Dear Neighbors,
Independence Day is tomorrow — I hope you get a chance to enjoy some beautiful weather and fireworks!
Coon Rapids has a number of activities planned for the 4th of July, including fireworks at 10pm on Thursday. You can find the full list here. Brooklyn Park will be holding an ice cream social this Saturday from 12pm-4pm at the Historic Eidem Farm.
New Laws as of July 1
July 1, 2019 marks the start of Minnesota’s new two-year state budget and a number of new laws go into effect. Here are some of the highlights:
- Strongest wage theft law in the country: Each year, more than 39,000 workers face wage theft by their employers. House DFLers worked to enact this law to prohibit wage theft so employers can’t deny employees wages and benefits they have rightfully earned. The new law makes wage theft a felony and punishes employers who retaliate against employees reporting such theft. Penalties could include up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
- Increased funding for education: The new state budget boosts the state’s education spending by $543 million over base level funding in the 2020-21 budget, with the largest investments in general education funding, special education, and voluntary prekindergarten.
- Helping our dairy farmers: We created DAIRI, short for the Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Relief Initiative. It invests $8 million to help family dairies enroll in federal Dairy Margin Coverage to help minimize the risk of loss due to low milk prices and stay in business.
- Election Security: We authorized the state to accept nearly $6.6 million in federal Help America Vote Act funds to strengthen the state’s election security efforts. This went into effect on June 1, 2019.
- Addressing the opioid crisis and holding pharmaceutical companies accountable: The new law consists of a sweeping, multifaceted approach that includes the establishment of an opioid advisory council to set goals and make funding recommendations; funding for county and tribal social service agencies to provide child protection services to families affected by addiction; and increased funding for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for additional drug scientists, lab supplies and special agents focused on drug interdiction and trafficking.
- To fund these initiatives, a registration fee of $250,000 a year will be assessed on any opiate manufacturer that annually sells, delivers or distributes 2 million or more units of opioids within or into the state. The law sets application and renewal fees for drug manufacturers of opiate-containing controlled substances at $55,000 and increases the fees for drug wholesalers, drug manufacturers and medical gas distributors to $5,000, from between $110 to $235 each. These fees will fund addiction prevention services and other opioid-related expenses.
- Repeal of the marital rape exception: The “marital rape exception,” also known as the voluntary relationship defense, made it impossible to prosecute people for rape under certain circumstances if the victim was married to the rapist. Fixing this injustice was championed through the entire legislative process by a very courageous woman, Jenny Teeson. During her divorce, Teeson discovered footage showing that her ex-husband had drugged and sexually assaulted her while they were married. Unbeknownst to her, Minnesota had an antiquated statute that allowed those charged with sexually assaulting their partner or spouse to use the voluntary relationship as a legal defense. You can learn more here.
The full list of new laws can be found here.
My e-updates will resume going in depth into each of the budget areas next week.
As always, please contact me anytime with your input. I appreciate hearing from you! You can reach me at 651-296-4280 or rep.melissa.hortman@house.mn. You can also keep up with what’s happening at the Capitol by liking my legislative Facebook page. Again, have a great Independence Day and a safe weekend. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Melissa Hortman