Neighbors,
For many years, Liberian families have been eligible to seek refuge in the United States.
The Liberians in our district are an undeniable asset to our community. Forcing them to leave would leave a gaping hole in our health and social services, in our businesses, and in the fabric of our community. Pulling these families away from work, school, and their homes would devastate those who call Minnesota home.
They cannot and should not be deported. Although the President has decided to extend the DED program for another year, I will continue to urge the federal government to find permanent residency for our Minnesotans.
Minnesota Values Budget
Every other year, the legislature passes a budget for the state for the two upcoming years. It’s one of the most important things we’ll do over the coming months. This week the House announced a framework for our budget, one that reflects Minnesota’s values and makes significant investments in education, affordable health care, and increasing economic prosperity across the state. If you want to read more about the budget you can do so here and here.
Instead of giveaways to insurance companies, our health care funding goes directly to consumers and paves the way for a public health care option. Our budget will freeze tuition at our public universities, keep our air, water, and land clean, address the need for gun violence prevention, and improve racial equity.
Asian Pacific Islander Day at the Capitol
Last week we celebrated the Asian Pacific Minnesotan day at the Capitol, a day to come together to turn our struggles, our ideas, and our hopes into law. It’s a day to make sure our voices are not only heard, but uplifted, at all levels of government.
Making Prescription Drugs More Affordable
Alec Smith was a 26-year-old from Minneapolis who died in the summer of 2017 because he couldn’t afford $1,200 each month for the insulin he needed to survive. A drug that has been around since the 1920s, and costs less than $5 per vile to produce, should never be out of reach for Minnesotans who depend on it. The DFL caucus has a comprehensive plan to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable and put more power in the hands of Minnesotans.
It’s one of the strongest proposals to address the rising cost of prescription drugs in the country. It increases transparency for drug manufacturers, improves public scrutiny of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), leverages the State of Minnesota’s purchasing power to cut health care costs. You can learn more about it from MPR here, and WCCO here. I am happy to support legislation that lowers prescription drugs to be affordable for everyday Minnesotans.
Safety on our Roads
Distracted driving is a contributing factor in one out of every five car crashes. In Minnesota, it causes an average of 53 deaths and 216 serious injuries every year.
I’m a proud co-author of hands-free driving legislation, which the Minnesota legislature passed this week. The bill would require drivers to put down their phones and focus on the road, because our lives are more important than a text message.
Sixteen other states and Washington, D.C. have hands-free cell phone laws. According to WCCO, crashes and fatalities on the road decrease when states have hands-free cell phone laws on the books, and it’s no mystery why. A driver who looks down for five seconds while driving at 55 MPH has already gone the length of a football field. Minnesotans deserve to be safe on our roads, and I urge our Senate Companions to pass this legislation.
Read more from MPR here and the Star Tribune here.
Thank you for keeping up with news from the Capitol, and feel free to reach out with questions or comments at any time!
Sincerely,
Representative Samantha Vang District 40B
MAP Caucus Chair
527 State Office Building
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-296-3709 | rep.samantha.vang@house.mn