At the midpoint of the 2021 Legislative Session, the contrast between the priorities of the Senate DFL and Senate Republicans could not be starker. While Senate Republicans have proposed a hyper-partisan agenda, Senate DFLers are fighting for policies to help working families, provide a world-class education, ensure a clean future, and advance our democracy.
Since session has begun this year, Senate Republicans have held hearings on legislation that would restrict voter access, discriminate against a sector of our student athletes, reopen schools and businesses without safety plans or resources, and have pushed to rollback clean air and water protections. Republicans can’t even affirm that our elections are free and fair, which is a cornerstone to our democracy.
Instead of real solutions to address the pandemic while keeping Minnesotans safe, they waste precious time attacking the governor and not doing the legislative work necessary to help our state. They proposed reopening businesses and schools without adequate safety measures or funding in place to keep people safe. Even in the midst of a public health crisis, they ignore and mock the safety practices necessary to mitigate the risks of this pandemic, including at the Senate itself by not wearing masks and putting the health of their colleagues and staff at risk.
With the release of their budget targets, Senate Republicans have again shown that their only priority is cuts to programs Minnesotans have depended on to weather this crisis. Minnesotans deserve better than partisan politics during a time of crisis.
Unlike Senate Republicans, the Senate DFL is committed to working together to build the state all Minnesotans deserve. That includes fighting for equitable policies, opportunities, and protections for all – at home, work, school, in their environment, and at the ballot box. This will allow for healthy and secure families, students who feel supported, and a robust workforce. It will also create a clean environment and strengthen our democracy so that our children can thrive in Minnesota for years to come.
Every community across Minnesota deserves the opportunity to thrive. As we recover from the devastating effects of a global pandemic, we need to support Minnesotans in their home and in their workplace and help them stay connected. We also recognize that from the birth of a child to taking care of a sick or disabled family member, everyone should have access to affordable health care, safe and affordable housing, paid family and medical leave, and economic security.
The Senate DFL is committed to a future in which all Minnesotans have a path to success. Children of every race, zip code, and economic status, from early childhood, through higher education, deserve a supportive, equitable, quality education from teachers with diverse backgrounds. We must invest in our schools to close the opportunity gaps our children are facing and support their mental health needs, which have only grown during this crisis. As our students move on to post-secondary opportunities, we need to ensure that they are affordable and accessible to all students and that we are meeting the needs of a 21st century workforce.
Minnesotans know we must come together to take bold action against climate change and toward a clean energy future with healthy communities and a healthy climate. Our children and our grandchildren are counting on us. This is an opportunity to create jobs, innovate, and make Minnesota a national leader. In doing so, we make our clean energy economy work for everyone by prioritizing environmental justice in all decision making.
Protecting democracy for the people begins at the ballot box and protecting the freedom to vote is a core value of the Senate DFL. Expanding – rather than suppressing – voter access is what Minnesotans are asking for. Expanding mail-in and absentee balloting (especially for people with disabilities and rural communities), extending early voting periods, and allowing voter pre-registration for 16-year-olds are some of the ways to strengthen and advance our democracy. With just 8 short weeks until the 2021 Legislative Session adjourns, Senate DFLers are fighting for a budget that reflects the values we all share, that supports those Minnesotans who have been hit hardest by the effects of this pandemic, and that ensures a fair and full recovery for all.
The Agriculture Committee was given a $40 million target, but with that $40 million already earmarked for broadband funding, the committee has $0 in new funding to support farmers in the middle of a pandemic.
HOUSING
Despite hearing testimony from communities across the state and stakeholders, Senate Republicans did not invest an additional dollar into housing across Minnesota in their budget.
Despite introducing bills that spent millions of dollars in new funding.
Senate Republican policies are focused on taking away local control.
Their budget will severely limit economic growth and housing opportunities across the state.
Minnesota’s reinsurance plan – the Minnesota Premium Security Plan – originally passed in 2017 when the individual marketplace was new. It provided state money to insurance companies to subsidize high-cost enrollees to incentivize those companies to lower their advertised premiums.
As noted prior to session’s start, the pandemic brought into stark contrast the varying inequities in Minnesota’s public school system. As distance learning became the norm, schools had to deal with students who lacked the hardware to participate in virtual classroom learning as well as the inability for some students to access the internet due to spotty broadband/WIFI services.
While the Senate Energy & Utility Committee has heard many different proposals this session of varying levels of controversy, it has become abundantly clear DFLers are putting forward proposals that consider our impending climate crisis a real threat needing urgent and bold leadership from the Legislature.
The Environment Policy Committee has heard and passed the policy provisions for the Senate Republicans’ 2021 Environmental Omnibus Bill. Like previous years, Republicans have opted to pursue controversial pieces of policy that strip our agencies of their authority to protect our natural resources and manage the state’s levels of pollution in our air, waters, and soils.
For many Minnesotans, 2020 has shown how important it is to have a strong social safety net and a responsive government that cares for us. Senate Republican budget targets have no additional spending for HHS from previous budget estimates, given that these don’t include inflation this will ultimately result in cuts to service.
The pandemic has hit post-secondary institutions, students and families hard, forcing most schools into online learning, which caused revenue loss for both the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State system.
Senate Republican budget target: $100 million
The Senate Republican budget proposal is still being developed.
Senate Republicans have taken votes that would delay our recovery by voting to recklessly ease restrictions before we know we can safely move forward. At that the same time, they opposed amendments to their proposals to ensure workers and the public would be safe.
There has been renewed focus on transformational changes to Minnesota’s criminal justice and policing systems in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent beginning of the Derek Chauvin trial. Republicans promised they would continue this important work after passing a bare minimum reform bill last summer but have not kept that promise.
The State Government Budget funds our critical public employees during the pandemic: epidemiologists, health care workers, unemployment insurance officers, and other critical front-line workers that Minnesotans have relied upon. Rather than support these employees, Senate Republicans propose to slash their budget by $23.4 million—an arbitrary 5% cut across all state agencies.
Republican tax budget target: $591 million* ($441 million for already-passed PPP bill, $150 million additional)
Senate Republicans have already voted against providing full tax-relief conformity for unemployed workers and their tax targets do not support that priority, either.
Comprehensive transportation funding proposals have been off the table in the Minnesota Senate this session and there has been no movement to tackle the long-term funding needs for infrastructure projects across the state. The Senate Transportation Finance Committee has heard numerous bills to provide funding for infrastructure projects so far this session without an honest discussion about how to sustain the revenue to pay for them.
VETERANS
Senate Republicans unveiled their omnibus finance and policy bill in committee. With a target of $8 million in the biennium, the bill broadly funds both department’s budget requests.
The Minnesota Senate DFL is committed to working together to build the state all Minnesotans deserve with high-quality education, affordable and accessible health care, and increasing support for working families. The values we share bring our communities together and serve as a guide for how we make our state work better for all of us, no matter what we look like or where we come from.