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Sen. Melisa Franzen (SD49) Update: February 15, 2019

Volume 5, Issue 6  —  February 15, 2019

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A weekly message from your Senator

Dear Constituents and Friends,

It was another busy week in the Minnesota Senate with several press conferences, including the announcement of the Increase Teachers of Color Act and the Early Learning Scholarships, both which I am a proud co-author.  I am also pleased to inform that I was appointed to serve on the Health and Human Services Finance Committee taking the open seat vacated by Senator Tony Lourey, who was tapped by Governor Walz to serve as Commissioner of Health and Human Services. As a previous Vice-Chair of HHS for four years I am happy to be back on to serve the interests of my district and the state.

Legislative leaders and Governor Tim Walz also laid out a new set of deadlines that they say will help in achieving an orderly end to the legislative session. With the first committee deadline only four weeks away, committee schedules ramped up and heard more high-profile bills such as opioid reforms, elderly abuse, school safety, and firefighter PTSD legislation. The Office of Legislative Auditor also released their MNLARS report this week.

One of the main jobs of the 2019 session is passing a two-year budget. Gov. Walz is expected to announce his budget proposal on Feb. 19 and lawmakers will receive the February budget forecast on Feb. 28. This information will frame the basis of formulating the state’s two-year budget.

Sincerely,

Melisa

Leaders introduce earlier legislative deadlines

Governor Walz met with legislative leaders this week in a bipartisan press conference to announce the implementation of additional legislative deadlines for the 2019 session. The new deadlines, which require finance bills to be passed off their respective floors by May 1st, are intended to help ease the tension which has stemmed from late or inflated budget bills in the past.

The earlier deadlines aim to give both legislators and the governor more time to review spending bills and increases the transparency of budget discussions for the public. Each speaker voiced hopes that greater public availability in the budget setting process would result in an increase in public pressure on legislators to negotiate legislative spending targets earlier in the year, although the effects of that pressure on the negotiation process are yet to be seen.

Legislators aiming to increase early learning scholarships for Minnesota students

According to an analysis report made by several early childhood organizations in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Education, 16,536 children currently have access to high-quality early care and education, but an additional 33,000 children are without these crucial developmental opportunities as families prepare their children for kindergarten. The report further estimates that 80% of families with three- to four-year-old children, and 60% of families with zero- to two-year-old children living in households at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Line will take advantage of an early education opportunity.

The bill promotes equitable opportunities in early childhood education by funding home visits and pre-kindergarten schooling and helping to close the access gap to high-quality educational programs for low-income families. It also establishes clear eligibility standards for families looking to receive an early learning scholarship based on income level, while allowing exceptions for children in need of protection and services as well as children who are homeless. (SF 1306)

Increase Teachers of Color Act

Legislators from the Senate and House held a press conference this week to introduce legislation aiming to increase the percentage of teachers of color and American Indian teachers (TOCAIT) in Minnesota classrooms.

The research is clear – all students benefit from receiving instruction from teachers of color. Yet the 2019 Minnesota Teacher Supply and Demand Report indicates that the percentage of teachers of color has remained stagnant at 4%, while the percentage of students of color continues to grow rapidly in Minnesota and is now 34%.

Breaking down barriers for people of color and American Indians to become teachers is an important part of fostering a productive, inclusive learning environment. The state knows that when educators reflect the diversity of their students Minnesota will truly be more successful in narrowing achievement and opportunity gaps. (SF 1012)

Support services for firefighters, first-responders, and veterans

As troubling trends relating to PTSD and suicide among firefighters, first responders, and veterans continue to rise, legislation was heard this week to provide more resources to help them better deal with the trauma they have experienced on the job.

Specifically, the bill establishes a grant program to provide mental health services, training for service dogs, and support services to family members. Grant applicants are required to submit their proposed uses for grant funds and are required to report their activities to the Commissioner of Human Services. This important legislation provides resources needed to help Minnesota’s brave heroes access necessary mental health support as they grapple with the indescribable situations encountered at their jobs. (SF 1109)

Senate takes renewed action to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable

Legislation is moving through the Senate this session to raise money to combat the opioid overdose epidemic that claimed the lives of hundreds of Minnesotans last year and continues to be a crisis. The legislation raises annual registration fees on pharmaceutical manufacturers and wholesale distributors, charging up to $250,000 to manufacturers responsible for selling the highest quantities of opiates in Minnesota. The goal of this effort is to raise $20 million each year to fund treatment and prevention programs, amounting to just a sliver of the skyrocketing profits made by manufacturers of opiates each year.

The bill also includes funding to update the prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) to make it easier for doctors to use, requires prescribers to check the PDMP before prescribing controlled substances like opiates, and limits the quantity of opiates prescribed for acute pain, like pain after an injury or surgery, to a 7-day supply for adults and a 5-day supply for children. Doctors can still write prescriptions for more than the limit if they believe it is necessary and prescriptions are not limited for patients experiencing chronic pain.

Advocates argue that drug manufacturers need to pay their fair share for the harm their products have caused and alleviate some of the financial burden borne almost entirely by taxpayers to address this crisis. There have been lawsuits filed across the country contending that drug companies knew how addictive opioids were yet continued to push for them to be widely prescribed. The pharmaceutical manufacturers have announced their opposition to the legislation but have not provided any alternatives to support the state’s response efforts.

In a significant bipartisan effort last year, the Senate voted 60-6 to pass similar legislation. The House is already hearing their version of the bill this year and the Senate proposal is expected to continue making progress. (SF751)

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