Week-in-Review Video
A message from your Senator
Constituents and friends,
We still have a large amount of work to complete at the Capitol with only a few days remaining in the legislative session, which is scheduled to end on Monday at midnight – it’s almost certain that we will return for a special session in June such that we can pass Minnesota’s two-year budget in time to avoid a government shutdown.
None of the conference committees have yet completed their work, which is unfortunately almost entirely thanks to my Republican colleagues in the Senate, who have spent these last few weeks setting ultimatums for their DFL House counterparts and refusing to negotiate on budget targets (the spending agreements that must be reached by the House majority, Senate majority, and Governor as a prerequisite for conference committees to complete their omnibus bills).
It is not enjoyable to lay this blame so directly, but one clear example is occurring in the Environment conference committee, where Republican Senators have refused to consider passing the omnibus bill until their House DFL counterparts agree to remove the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s authority to regulate vehicle emissions standards. This is a last-ditch attempt to prevent badly-needed Clean Cars rules from being implemented in Minnesota, and is not only a cynical negotiation tactic but is also jeopardizing continued funding for state parks, the Minnesota Zoo and Science Museum, and other important pieces of the Environment budget. These Senators’ DFL House counterparts are doing their best to continue the committee’s work regardless, but are certainly not willing to strip the MPCA’s rulemaking authority, so they remain deadlocked for the time being.
The Senate and House DFL caucuses remain committed to including long-overdue police reform measures in the Judiciary omnibus budget bill if they won’t pass the Legislature as standalone pieces of legislation (which appears to be the case this year), including a mandated 48-hour timeline for the release of body camera footage, removing qualified immunity for police officers, and banning no-knock warrants. As expected, Republican Senators will not commit to including these measures in the omnibus bill, and have invited testifiers who oppose these measures to speak during the conference committee’s hearings – but we will continue pushing for these much-needed changes.
I introduced two new bills this week:
- SF 2535 would make a large and important change to the state’s permitting process for mining projects, by requiring a mine permitee to not just “set aside” the Financial Assurance money that funds any reclamation or cleanup actions the state might be forced to take as a result of the mine, but to instead pay that Financial Assurance up-front at the time of the permit’s issuance, in cash and in full. This would prevent mining companies from shirking expensive cleanup and/or reclamation costs by declaring bankruptcy, engaging in creative contractual maneuvers, or taking other problematic actions to avoid paying their bill, which our current system does not prevent.
- SF 2536 would require the installation of adult-size changing facilities in public restrooms across the state. This is very important for disabled individuals and their caretakers.
It is now too late in this year’s session for new bills to receive committee hearings or otherwise move through the legislative process, but I will reintroduce them next year.
Community News & Events
The Wayzata and Hopkins School Districts will each be hosting a COVID-19 vaccination clinic later this month, giving students, parents, staff, and their family members ages 12 and over a convenient opportunity to get vaccinated. Full details and signup information can be found herefor the Wayzata clinic, and here for the Hopkins clinic.
On Tuesday, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved an expenditure of $17.1 million to support 27 affordable housing and development projects – the largest amount ever awarded by the Board at once to support affordable housing. This is good policy, and a good decision!
COVID-19 Hotlines
- Hotline for health questions: 612-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903 (staffed 6 am to 8 pm daily)
- Hotline for school and childcare questions: 651-297-1304 or 1-800-657-3504 (staffed 7 am to 7 pm daily)
- Questions for workers and employers: 651-259-7114 or 800-657-3858
- Hotline if you experience or witness bias and/or discrimination: 1-833-454-0148 (staffed Monday-Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm)
Please don’t hesitate to contact me at any time with input, questions, or concerns!
