First Bills Introduced
We are now more than a month into the 2019 legislative session, and I’m excited to continue working
on issues that are important to Minnesotans. In addition to my work in committee, I’ve introduced several bills that cover a wide range of issues.
Some of my bills relate directly to our communities of Richfield and Bloomington. S.F. 108 is a grant for The Works museum in Bloomington, which provides opportunities for children and families to enjoy learning experiences related to science, technology, math, and engineering. S.F. 473 and S.F. 551 relate to tax measures that are important to the City of Bloomington. I also plan to introduce a bill that would fund a bonding request for the 77th St Underpass in Richfield. Since my time on the Bloomington School Board, early childhood education has been a focus of mine. S.F. 820, the Great Start for All Minnesota Children Act, addresses a wide range of early childhood investments. These include early learning scholarships, increasing the Child Care Assistance Program reimbursement rate, additional funding for voluntary pre-K, and childcare provider grants. This is the Senate companion bill to H.F. 1, one of the House majority’s top priorities.
I’m also continuing to work on health and human services issues. In addition to the Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act, which I’ve mentioned previously, I’m carrying a number of bills that will help Minnesotans navigate the health care system. One bill, S.F. 875, would establish a registry system for spoken language health care interpreters to ensure that patients with limited English skills are adequately and professionally informed about their medical decisions. S.F. 1001 would also provide for emergency prescription refills under specific circumstances. Feel free to keep in touch if you have questions about bills that I’m authoring this session.
100% Clean Energy Bill Introduced
Minnesota has long been a leader in clean, renewable energy, and I’m proud to be a co-author of thenext bold move in that direction. I’ve joined several of my colleagues to co-author a bill that would commit Minnesota to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050.
This bill would also require a majority of customers be provided electricity produced by renewable energy by 2030. As we continue to see the effects of climate change on our state, the need for clean, renewable energy is becoming more and more clear. I’m hopeful that my colleagues in the legislature will recognize this reality, and that we will take this needed step.
Meetings on District Issues
As a Senator, my job is to serve our neighbors who live in Richfield and Bloomington. I previously mentioned some of the bills that I’m carrying to that end, but beyond that I put a great premium on meeting directly with community leaders to hear from them about their concerns and priorities. I look forward to several of those meetings in the coming weeks.
This Friday, I’ll be attending a legislative breakfast meeting with Richfield City officials, and other legislators who represent the city. Richfield is also represented by Senator Patricia Torres Ray (DFL-Minneapolis), and Representatives Michael Howard (DFL-Richfield) and Jean Wagenius (DFL-Minneapolis). I’m also planning to attend the Richfield State of the Community event on the 20th
I’ll also be meeting next week with the
Bloomington School Board to discuss education issues that are likely to come up this year. E-12 Education comprises approximately one-third of the state budget, and is likely to be a major topic of discussion this year. Bloomington’s other legislators include Senator Melisa Franzen (DFL-Edina), Rep. Howard, as well as Representatives Andrew Carlson (DFL-Bloomington) and Steve Elkins (DFL-Bloomington).
These meetings provide an excellent opportunity to discuss issues that are specific to our communities, and how we, as legislators, can address them. Local officials also represent the front line in how many of the decisions we make in St. Paul affect Minnesotans. It’s important to hear directly from local officials how budget investments and policy decisions play out in their own communities.
Committee Deadlines Announced
The Minnesota Constitution requires the legislature to adjourn by the first Monday after the third Saturday in May. With a mandated adjournment date, the legislature adopts committee deadlines to promote an orderly process and public accountability.
On Monday, the Senate adopted the committee deadlines for the 2019 session. The first deadline, when all policy bills must clear policy committees in either the House or the Senate, is March 15th. Second deadline, when policy bills must clear committees in both the House and the Senate, is March 29th. Budget bills must be reported to the Finance Committee by the third deadline, April
Additionally, Gov. Walz, Senate Majority Leader Gazelka, and House Speaker Hortman announced agreements on deadlines designed to ensure a smooth end to the session. The agreements related to budget bills passing, appointment of conference committee members, budget targets, and dates for final agreements on budget conference committee reports. My hope is that this will reduce the confusion, lack of transparency, and rancor that has plagued the ends of recent legislative sessions.
Looking Ahead…
In the coming weeks, I’m planning on meeting with Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm, Human Services Commissioner Tony Lourey, and representatives from the YMCA, as well as celebrating African Heritage Day on the Hill. I’m also looking forward to meeting with constituents representing the MN Catholic Conference, LeadMN, veterinarians, athletic trainers, the Land Stewardship Project, and IBEW, as well as constituents who advocate on behalf of those with epilepsy, and bicyclists. If you have time, I hope you’ll stop by the Capitol and say “Hi!” otherwise, I’ll see you around town!