A greeting from Senator Hoffman, and welcome to the Session!
Session Priorities
Bonding
This year is a bonding year, and focusing on infrastructure for our community is a top priority. Bonding bills create well-paying jobs throughout the state and boost both the local and state economies. Some of the bonding projects I will be fighting for include: two projects for the North Hennepin Community College campus, improvements to Champlin’s Mississippi Point Park to make it more ADA accessible, the Rum River Dam project to serve as a barrier to invasive carp and protect the river’s watershed, $47 million in Trunk Highway bonds to construct additional lanes on U.S. Hwy. 10, $27 million in bonding to add a third lane to both directions on Hwy. 10, from Hanson Blvd. to Round Lake Blvd and finally the pedestrian overpass in Coon Rapids.
Insulin
The cost of insulin has tripled in the last 10 years, putting a burden on thousands of Minnesotans, while the three insulin manufacturers that control more than 90% of the U.S. market have been raking in record profits. In the 12 months from September 2018 to 2019, the three companies reported $84.1 billion in revenue and $18.5 billion in profits.
The Senate and House are working on a bill to ensure that our most vulnerable Minnesotans can always have access to their life saving insulin. The ability to live without fear day to day is something worth working together for.
Independent Living
I’ve been working across the aisle to develop opportunities for individuals with disabilities as well as our elderly to have greater access to living accommodations outside of group homes. Over the years we have been trying to move to a comprehensive community model for those who desire it so they can enjoy and add to the communities around them. It has been a challenge in recent years as progress seems to have stalled in integrating people into their communities in a collaborative way. It is time we take this problem on with determination and begin the implementation of real solutions. The default of putting people into facilities or group homes has to be changed.
State Employment of People with Disabilities
The state of Minnesota implemented a program called Connect 700 in 2016 to assist people with disabilities by granting an honest chance at state employment. After a five months of investigating, 200+ staff hours, 1000s of emails and documents and 30+ candid interviews with those that have been a part of the Connect 700 program, I have found the treatment of people with disabilities in state employment to be wildly different between agencies and unregulated in any central capacity. What we found, is in some agencies this has lead to some amazing success stories when their supervisor and agency understand how to respect an individual and assist them. It has also lead to some of the worst travesties I have ever heard in disrespectful action and inaction to those who put their trust in us.
This is not acceptable. We as a state can not treat our own people in such a way. As such, Senator Abeler, Chair of Human Services Reform held a hearing and highlighted some of the needed changes. With that, it caught the attention of the Author of the ADA, Bobby Silverstein, who has offered our State and system heIp in improving the implementation of the program. As highlighted, the two proclamations by Governors Dayton and Walz have strong infrastructure and application. Matter of fact, the intention of those two proclamations meet all the necessary bench marks to get our State as a model state for employee people with disabilities. However, the implementation of those is fragmented and not successful showing a 12% retention and treating people with disabilities differently than a traditional employee. Therefore, in a Bi Partisan manner, we are working on legislation to put protections in place while simultaneously supporting them to have the best opportunity to succeed.
Positive Stories from our Community
Here I would just like to share some of the wonderful things our community has accomplished or been apart of:
It is my greatest honor to represent you the citizens of Brooklyn Park, Champlin and Coon Rapids here at our great state capitol. In addition to representing you, I absolutely enjoy it when you come visit.So come on down, reach out and tell me what matters to you so I can continue working on your behalf. You can reach me by email at sen.john.hoffman@senate.mn, phone by 651-296-4154 or just stop by. I am at 95 University Avenue Suite 2231 in the Minnesota Senate Building
Sincerely,
Senator John Hoffman
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to call my office at 651-296-4154 or by e-mail at jhoffman@senate.mn
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