Tag: John Hoffman

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Throughout my many years of advocacy work, including local, state and federal I have seen good bills come and go.  I have also seen policy discussions lead to nothing getting done. This is the historic representation of what people with disabilities have and continue to receive year after year.  I recall moving back home to Minnesota in 2000 and celebrating those who were on waiting lists for services were able to finally receive those much-needed services. It was not a movement by our elected officials that preempt this rather it was a court action that started that process.  In the end, finally, people with disabilities were acknowledged and counted for. 

Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: April 9, 2021”

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As second deadlines come to a close we are now ready to work on preparing omnibus bills. We will have a busy week of finalizing different policies and marking up the financial parts of budgets to ensure they are balanced and complete in addressing Minnesotans needs. This is also the time to bring forward any technical changes needed in the bills important to you. Speaking of bills, I was successful in getting two bills heard and passed in Civil Law Committee this week. SF 1332  This legislation contains two provisions, one provision ensures appeals related to child support good cause exemptions occur in a timely manner that does not require parents to choose between safety and receiving assistance needed to support themselves and their children, and the other provision enables district courts to transfer child support cases to tribal courts when certain requirements are met so that tribal families are not burdened with an unnecessarily complicated process when seeking to modify child support. Also SF 1333 This bill makes a number of technical and housekeeping corrections to statutes governing adoptions from foster care and transfers of permanent legal and physical custody, Northstar Care for Children, permanency, and the definition of foster care. It also makes a correction in the statute authorizing co-location of a foster child with their parent in a specially licensed or approved co-location substance use disorder facility by referencing tribally approved facilities in addition to licensed facilities.

Knowing that Minnesota now has a surplus rather than a deficit we still need to be fiscally vigilant with the taxpayers money, but that point will make our decisions more focused on the unique needs and flexibility versus straight up cuts which was our first reaction to the fact that we were possibly facing a deficit.  

Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: March 19, 2021”

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

After 10 weeks of getting bills drafted and having hearings, we have hit first deadlines for this first year of the session.  Now we work to narrow down what bills will be moving forward of those that have passed this far. I have been able to get a lot of bill hearings and work in a bi partisan manner to help move others through this first deadline. Yes, my office is busy and getting things done. This is what you said to me and expect me to do. It was a long week and there will be longer ones ahead, but it is important work to get done.

The Senate passed some business protection including the PPP tax savings. Now we wait for the House and Governor to bring their work on this important piece of legislation and together we will pass a better bill that left the Senate. I brought an amendment to give tax breaks to College Students and Businesses that are covering those student loans, however, much to my surprise, I couldn’t get it to pass.  See my video below and let me know if you think it was and is a good idea.  The Governor has also started to ease Covid-19 restrictions and I have highlighted those in this ENews as well.  Also, I have put in here the Stimulus Package as passed by our Federal Delegation and signed into law by President Biden. 

Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: March 12, 2021”

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We have one more week until first deadlines. Many bills have been moving, and this week we had several. You’ll find more details on the specifics in this ENews. I would also like to say we had introduced on Monday the bill that will address the issues I wrote about last week! SF 1570 was introduced and I am proud to be the second Author on the bill and to support it with the full force of the office of Senate District 36. This will bring training, accommodation and accountability to our agencies in ensuring the support of all potential and current employees with disabilities. 

Among the important bills heard this week are two transportation bills I’m working on with Senator Abeler and Senator Newton. These will finish a key part of highway ten and expand it to three lines for a significant portion of the road, reducing congestion and rush hour delays for all passing along this important corridor. With an amendment moving with the bills to bonding, it is 71 million in funding I will do my utmost to bring to the finish line.

Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: March 6, 2021”

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

It has been a long week. I have had four bills I authored receive individual hearings.  I also share with you as I write with a sense of frustration yet filled with hope because we are Minnesota and we must rise above the challenges that confront us. 

Our budget is healthier than expected which provides us real opportunity to fix the issues many of us see in the Governor’s Budget. More than that, I see places where we can fix the Governor’s  cuts by putting back money he shifted from People with Disabilities and put it back where it belongs. 

Additionally, we have an opportunity to fix our broken employment system for People with Disabilities. Over the last year and a half our office has investigated our scattered system in regards to Connect 700, a program meant to be a supportive and honest opportunity for People with Disabilities to engage in the state workforce. We have interviewed over a dozen experts, attracted the attention of our federal Department of Labor and the talents of Bobby Silverstein (author in congress of bills such as the ADA) to assist us, and interviewed countless individuals who are victims of this programs failed processes. 

Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: September 26, 2021”

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This week brought another round of hearings and discoveries. In Health and Human Services Reform we’ve moved closer to assisting counties in efficiency and flexibility while having some serious discussions about healthcare and accessibility for our most vulnerable populations. We also have further vaccine updates.

There are more details in this newsletter, but know the work continues at an increasing pace. We are only a few weeks away from first bill deadlines so its a rush to properly evaluate good legislation and make sure it gets where it needs to go. 

Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: February 19, 2021”

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As our polar vortex intensifies so does our legislative session. We are now cutting deep into the Governor’s budget while trying to form our own as well as addressing key system issues from programs being developed. 

I will continue to ensure we protect our vital services and any investment made is important and thoughtful with measurable results. We must protect those neighbors and friends who rely on services; our aging and people with disabilities populations and businesses while ensuring vaccines reach those who need it most to preserve lives. 

Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: February 12, 2021”

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Welcome to the end of week 5 in the 2021 session. At this point bills are flying and many if not all committees are in full swing. The budget still poses some issues in what the Governor has proposed and we will be working to create a Senate Budget that we believe will reflect Minnesota.

It has been a busy and sad week. Friends have passed and issues have been raised but we move forward and address what we can. I hope this finds you and your families safe and staying warm, as winter comes back in full force the upcoming week. Please reach out if you have any ideas or need to connect on an issue. 

John

Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: February 6, 2021”

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Week four of Legislative Session is behind us and bills are moving steadily through committees. In Human Services Reform where I am honored to be ranking member, we had some deep discussion on bills related to workforce shortages with Personal Care Assistance, support for parents of children with disabilities, and increasing inclusion of all people in Minnesota in their communities.

The Governor also released his budget proposal and the Health and Human Services budget was presented at a high level in Committee on Thursday. There were some impressive investments met with equally disappointing cuts to key service areas. You can find more details on that within this newsletter, and as I learn more I will share it with you all. There are also some Vaccine updates as the state works to ensure we utilize the vaccines we have swiftly. 

Continue reading “Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: January 29, 2021”