Rep. Melissa Hortman (HD36B) Update: March 22, 2019

Dear Neighbors,

It’s been another busy week at the Capitol. Before we get to the updates, I encourage you to head over to my Facebook page and offer your opinion on our recent time change. If Minnesota did away with springing forward and falling back every year, which time should we stick with: standard time or daylight saving time? While you’re commenting, you can also check out a great letter from my new favorite constituent. You can find the post here.

Hands-free cell phone use while driving

Standing with Minnesotans who’ve lost loved ones in accidents caused by distracted drivers.

On Monday, the House passed the hands-free cell phone bill (HF 50). Sixteen other states and the District of Columbia have hands-free cell phone laws.

According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, distracted or inattentive driving was a contributing factor in one in five crashes from 2013-2017, resulting in an average of 53 deaths and 216 serious injuries each year.

Minnesotans deserve to be safe on our roadways. There is clear evidence from other states that these types of laws save lives. We’ve heard so many heart-wrenching stories from Minnesotans of family members lost because people are on their smartphones instead of focusing on the road. It’s time for us to get this done.

You can read more here.

Protecting Minnesotans from sexual harassment
Yesterday, we passed HF 10, a bill authored by Rep. Kelly Moller to update Minnesota’s sexual harassment law to strengthen protections against such behavior in workplaces. The legislation is part of the Minnesota House DFL’s Minnesota Values Plan — the first 10 bills introduced during the session.

For decades, courts have upheld an unreasonable “severe or pervasive” threshold when applying sexual harassment law, making it extremely difficult for those who have experienced harassment to see justice and accountability. HF 10 will remove this roadblock by providing an overdue clarification to Minnesota’s Human Rights Act.

All Minnesotans deserve to work and live in an environment free from sexual harassment.

You can find more information here.

Holding pharmaceutical companies accountable for the opioid crisis

On Monday, the House also passed HF 400, a bill authored by Rep. Liz Olson, aimed at addressing the state’s opioid crisis. The legislation has robust strategies for prevention, education, intervention, training, treatment and recovery.

The legislation creates an Opioid Stewardship Advisory Council to recommend initiatives to end the crisis. These initiatives will be funded by grants from a new Opioid Stewardship Fund. Resources for this fund would come from fees paid by pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors.

In 2017, there were more than 2,000 visits to Minnesota emergency rooms for opioid-involved overdoses. In 2017, 422 Minnesotans lost their lives due to overdoses. Since 2010, the rate of opioid-related overdose deaths has steadily increased each year.

The opioid epidemic continues to cause heartbreaking tragedies for families across our state. Too many parents have lost children. Too many Minnesotans have lost loved ones. Friends and family members of opioid users have mourned, had to step in to care for neglected or orphaned children, and watched as loved ones lose control over their lives. Minnesotans have experienced too much pain for too long without responsibility being placed on the pharmaceutical companies who have profited richly from the sale of opioids in our state.

Once the Senate passes their bill, this will head to conference committee. The House is committed to insuring the bill that reaches the Governor’s desk holds pharmaceutical companies accountable for the costs they have imposed on Minnesotans.

You can learn more about this issue here.

Letter on Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberians
Earlier this week, I sent a letter to President Trump and members of Minnesota’s Congressional Delegation asking them to extend Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberians. These protections are currently set to end on March 31.

Our Liberian neighbors contribute to our economy, our culture and our communities. They are Minnesotans — for many of them this is the only country and state they have ever known. We welcome the contributions Liberians and their families have made for our state. Ending the protections from DED will have detrimental effects on Minnesota, and most importantly, will have life-changing and even tragic life-or-death consequences for Liberians living in Minnesota.

The full letter can be found here.

As always, please contact me anytime with your input. I appreciate hearing from you! You can reach me at 651-296-4280 or at rep.melissa.hortman@house.mn. You can also keep up with what’s happening at the Capitol by liking my legislative Facebook page. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Melissa Hortman