Volume 6 Issue 3 February 28, 2020
Weekly Review Video
A weekly message from your Senator
Dear Constituents and Friends,
It was another busy week at the Capitol with committee work in full swing. I also am appreciative of all of the constituents who took a moment to stop by my office!
This week I was appointed to the Finance Committee. I will no longer be serving on the Taxes Committee due to this appointment. I am looking forward to getting to work on this committee as it reviews every appropriation bill and approves the finance division bills before they appear on the Senate floor for a final vote. I will continue serving on Health and Human Services and Transportation this session.
In the Transportation Committee on Tuesday, we had an important discussion about school bus safety as there have already been far too many incidents with students not being able to safely get on and off the bus. Two bills were heard, S.F. 1050 and SF 3254, to address school bus safety by funding a safety campaign and requiring school buses to display an inspection certificate to ensure the equipment is functioning properly. The committee heard from a variety of speakers including David White, Supervisor of Transportation Services for Edina Public Schools.
No bills have received a vote on the floor yet, but that will likely change as bills start to move through the committee process. The first deadline, when bills have to be acted on by a committee in order to pass this session, is on March 20th this year.
Don’t forget to join us in the Capitol Rotunda for our office’s annual event, STEM Advocacy Day, on Monday, March 2nd from 1:30-4:30! More info about the event here.
Sincerely,
Melisa
Thousands of taxpayers eligible to file for free
As Minnesotans work to finish filing income taxes before the April 15 deadline, the Minnesota Department of Revenue is reminding taxpayers to verify whether they are eligible to file state taxes for free. Last year, almost 62% of Minnesotans qualified to file for free, but more than 780,000 of them did not take advantage.
Taxpayers may be eligible to file electronically for free if their Adjusted Gross Income is $69,000 or less, if they are eligible for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), or if they are active duty military service members. Eligibility differs depending on which software program is being used. A full list may be found at https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/free-electronic-filing.
Some Minnesotans may also be eligible for free tax preparation services: generally, those age 60 or older, persons with disabilities, those with limited English skills, or those with annual income under $56,000. There are more than 200 free tax-preparation sites available across Minnesota, which can be located at https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/free-tax-preparation-sites.
Even though tax-preparation software programs usually offer free federal tax filing, the programs charge fees to electronically file state income taxes in most states. Minnesota partners with select software programs to enable free filing for qualifying taxpayers, but it must be done though one of the programs listed on the department’s website.
Legislation to address our PCA shortages, while helping college students
Minnesota faces a severe shortage of personal care assistants (PCA’s) throughout the state. According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, personal care and service positions have 10,155 vacancies as of the second quarter of 2019. The gap between the amount of available positions and workers seeking employment is expected to worsen because of the boomer generation’s retirement and increasing medical needs. Areas outside of the metropolitan area feel the impact of the shortage to a greater extent, leaving the people of Greater Minnesota with few options.
Legislation was heard this week to create a new program, called the Direct Care Service Corps Pilot Project, which encourages postsecondary students from around the state to work as PCA’s. In 2018, the Legislature developed a work plan to expand and diversify the PCA workforce through increasing wages and training. The work plan raised minimum wages, but the consistent shortage demonstrates the need for continued efforts to assist the sector. Students would provide a much-needed influx of workers into the industry and alleviate the immediate impacts of the worker shortage. The program is beneficial to postsecondary students as they would receive financial incentives for their service as well as valuable work experience. Students can help their community through directed service while receiving financial benefits and closing a gap in the labor market.
The problem of unfilled positions in the personal care industry is critical because it directly impacts the elderly and people with disabilities. When people in need are unable to receive their required care, many are forced into group or nursing homes. Family and friends may also take off work or reduce their hours to compensate for the care that their loved ones should be receiving from PCA’s. Without programs to encourage more workers to enter the sector, those in need and their loved ones are burdened with inadequate healthcare and financial stress.
The Directed Care Service Corps legislation would be established through a grant to Healthforce Minnesota to oversee pilot programs. The pilots would primarily take place in the seven-county metropolitan area, with at least one pilot outside of the area. The compensation for students would increase relative to their time spent with the program, in an effort to raise retention rates. Healthforce Minnesota would report any findings to the Legislature, including changes in health care costs, retention of personal care assistants, and patient’s and provider’s satisfaction of care.
If passed, the program would offer the benefits of providing additional job opportunities for students while ensuring adequate care for people with disabilities and the elderly in Minnesota. (SF 2080)
Update on Wage Theft Legislation
According to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, nearly 39,000 workers are victims of wage theft each year, many of whom are low-income individuals with little means to fight the theft in court. These lost wages total nearly $12 million- averaging more than $300 in stolen wages for individual employees.
To combat this issue, a bipartisan wage theft bill was passed through the Legislature last year. The new law expands notification requirements for employers including the disclosure of pay rate, overtime and wage laws to their employees. The law also increased the penalties of wage theft including fees and jail time. This law is vital to holding employers accountable and ensuring every Minnesotan is paid the wage they are owed.
An informational hearing was held this week to discuss the effectiveness of this legislation and means of improvement. The largest concerns have been communication between employers, the state government, and their employees as well as the logistical implications of the new law.
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