June 8, 2018
Senate DFL stands up for all Minnesotans
Minnesotans are counting on legislative leaders to build the state they deserve, where everyone can get a high-quality education, access affordable health care, and enjoy a great quality of life.
The Legislature had an opportunity this year to make progress for Minnesotans on protecting our elders and vulnerable adults; safer schools and smaller class sizes; lowering health care costs; and a $3 billion backlog of statewide construction projects. Minnesotans from every county and all walks of life visited the Capitol and urged lawmakers to lend a helping hand. Instead of listening, Republicans sided with the pharmaceutical industry and multi-national corporations time after time.
Dozens of pharmaceutical industry lobbyists prowled the Capitol halls in the final weeks of session. Their goal? To kill a bipartisan plan to combat widespread opioid abuse that would have required opioid manufacturers to share in the cost of treatment and public safety. Instead of holding Big Pharma accountable for the opioid crisis they helped create, Republicans helped kill the bill, and now taxpayers will shoulder 100% of the costs of the opioid crisis.
The 2018 session began just days after the third-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. Days before the session ended, the fifth-deadliest school shooting occurred. Between these two school shootings, tens of thousands of brave Minnesota students, teachers, and parents visited the Capitol to demand better criminal background checks, red flag laws, and other proposals to stem the bloodshed. Despite robust grassroots organizing and public opinion polling showing nearly universal support across all demographics, Republicans in the Senate did not hold a single public hearing about gun violence this year.
In an effort to save face with voters, Republicans cooked up and passed in the dead of night a phonebook-sized supplemental budget just 24 hours before the Legislature’s constitutional deadline to complete its work for the year. Capitol veterans say the 990-page bill is the biggest they’ve ever seen. They also ignored our state’s constitution and combined bills in a last-ditch effort to get things passed. The Senate DFL tried time and again to take out poison pills and other controversial policies, but Republicans voted no at every opportunity.
Republicans used the 2018 session to tee up their political attacks for the summer and fall, but Minnesotans aren’t buying it. Too many voices got ignored this year. Too many good ideas died. Too many Minnesotans were let down. It’s time our Legislature was held accountable for letting these good opportunities fly by.