Volume 6, Issue 14
April 16, 2021
Weekly Review Video
A weekly message from your Senator
Dear Constituents and Friends,We are all mourning the loss of Daunte Wright, another Black man murdered in Minnesota. The rest of the world was already looking at Minnesota, with there are national news services in Minnesota covering the trial of Derek Chauvin. George Floyd, Dolal Idd, and Daunte Wright — three Black men killed in the hands of law enforcement in Minnesota in less than a year.
On Wednesday, I visited Brooklyn Center along with other Minnesota Senate POCI Caucus members. We listened to community leaders and demanded legislative action to protect the lives of Black Minnesotans.
If Black lives matter, then we must pass substantive legislation to protect Black lives. Here are the policy recommendations my fellow Senate POCI members and I believe must be addressed before we go back to normal Senate business or budget negotiations.
- Allow local governments to establish civilian oversight councils.
- Ban the alteration, erasure, or destruction of body-worn camera recordings and withholding footage.
- End qualified immunity.
- Prohibit peace officers from affiliating with white supremacist groups.
- Provide funding for community organizations working to prevent crime.
We still have time before we sine die for this legislative session on May 17th. There is a month to address and pass substantive legislation to protect Black lives in Minnesota.
I hope you take time to take care of yourself and support those who mourn and grieve the loss of Daunte Wright – a father, son, and member of the community.
Sincerely,
Melisa
Vaccine Update:
This week, the CDC and FDA recommended temporarily pausing further administration of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine out of an abundance of extreme caution. Six people out of the almost 7 million who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine experienced a rare and severe type of blood clot after getting the shot. Currently, none of the Minnesota vaccination sites are using J&J this week, and Minnesota and the CDC/FDA recommend a temporary pause on the J&J vaccine at this time.
All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and FDA are further reviewing these cases.
While these incidents have been extremely rare, if you have received the J&J vaccine and develop a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination you should contact their health care provider.
Minnesota continues to be a nationwide leader in vaccine rollout. As of April 14th, over 50% of individuals 16+ have received their first vaccine (almost 2.2 million). Over 1.5 million Minnesotans have received their full vaccination series
To find a vaccination appointment please visit the Vaccine Connector or check out the Minnesota vaccination locator.
Finance Committee:
Before all bills with a fiscal impact go to the floor they have to pass through the Finance Committee. As omnibus bills pass out of their committee of primary jurisdiction they will eventually be vetted by the Finance Committee, making it a busy time for the committee. This week, we went from Finance Committee, to Session, and back to Finance Committee. The days are getting longer – with morning meetings starting at 7:45 am and finishing committee at 11:20 pm, you know we are a month away from sine die.
Omnibus bills:
This week on the floor we started to hear the Senate omnibus bills. The following bills passed on the floor and will go to conference committee next. The Senate and the House will take their proposed omnibus bills and negotiate for aspects of each bills. That means that bills will change during negotiations. Certain provisions in the Senate omnibus bill might look different in the House, but in the end we will find something that works. Here are some main takeaways from the Senate omnibus bills:
Higher Education:
Included:
- The higher education omnibus budget bill passed on the Senate floor on Wednesday
- $45 million in new funds for higher education and increases student grant amounts
- Require colleges and universities to honor student transcript requests even if they carried unpaid fees and fines
- Hunger Free Campus Grants to help with basic needs such as food shortages, housing and transportation
- Increased grants to the College is Possible Program
- Basic needs resource hub provision to help a changing student demographic meet the challenges of juggling college and daily life
Missing:
- Addressing budget shortfalls for the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State systems.
Commerce, Consumer Protection & Energy:
Included:
- Reinsurance – $150 million in taxpayer dollars to health insurance companies with a request – not a requirement – that they do not increase health insurance premiums too much
Missing:
- Prevention in catalytic converter thefts by imposing penalties and providing enforcement tools that currently do not exist
- A permanent statute protecting consumers from price-gouging during emergencies – 36 other states have this in law currently.
- Extending the state’s cold weather rule, which protects low-income Minnesotans from having their utilities shut off during winter months if they are unable to pay their utility bills
- Protecting access to landline service for seniors and rural Minnesotans
- Meaningful steps towards decarbonization and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state.
Agriculture:
Included:
- Expanding border-to-border broadband
Missing:
- New or increased funding to support Minnesota’s farmers
Jobs and Workforce Development:
Included:
- Small business relief loan guarantee program
- Allows a person to qualify for reemployment assistance if they are enrolled in coursework offered by an adult basic education consortium member
- Unemployment insurance for secondary students
- Unemployment insurance
Missing:
- Paid Family and Medical Leave for all Minnesotans
Judiciary and Public Safety
Included:
- Voluntary intoxication defense for certain mentally incapacitated cases clarification
- Removing the statute of limitations on reporting criminal sexual conduct
- Human trafficking penalty increases
Missing:
- Provision to prohibit police officers from associating with white supremacist groups
- Strengthening hate crime laws to better protect Asian Americans
- Police reform and accountability legislation
- Gun safety legislation such as universal background checks
Constituent Meetings:
This week I was able to meet with constituents from Mom’s Demand Action, Edina teachers and educators through Education Minnesota lobby day, and howling wolves lobby day.
On Tuesday, I met with Mom’s Demand Action to discuss the future of gun safety legislation in the Minnesota Senate. Here are some the future Mom’s Demand Action community forums:
Wednesday, April 21 – 7:00 pm: Suicide Prevention
Thursday, May 20 – 7:00 pm: Gun Violence and Children
Thursday, June 3 – 7:00 pm: City Gun Violence
During Howling Wolves lobby I learned more about SF 1144 – a bill that would prevent wolf trophy hunting. I recently visited the International Wolf Center in Ely where I learned more about efforts to protect wolf populations. I am proud to add my name as a co-author to SF 1144.