Tag: Minnesota House

Housing Finance and Policy Division Approves COVID-19 and Civil Unrest Rebuilding Measures

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today., the Housing Policy and Finance Division chaired by Rep. Alice Hausman (DFL- St. Paul) held a remote hearing to approve housing proposals related to the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.

HF 9, authored by Rep. Hausman, extends certain private tax-exempt bonds for affordable housing.

“At a time when affordable housing is critically needed, this just provides a means for projects to move forward,” said Rep. Hausman. “This measure extends a timeline for bonds to fund affordable housing and it received a unanimous approval.”

HF 82, authored by Rep. Hodan Hassan (DFL-Minneapolis), assists residential and commercial tenants in areas of civil unrest to rebuild the community.

“Many of the damaged and destroyed buildings were black and brown-owned,” said Rep. Hassan. “These owners were caught in the middle of two pandemics – COVID-19 and civil unrest. Our vibrant communities will only survive and thrive if they rebuild with our help.”

A full agenda and supporting documents can be found on the committee’s webpage. Video of the hearing will be broadcast live on the House website.

A recording of the hearing will be available on House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel.

Minnesota House Education Policy Committee Advances Legislation to Increase Equity in Education

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota House Education Policy Committee held a remote hearing to advance legislation that would increase equity in education across the state. Provisions included increasing education opportunities for American Indian and Tribal Nations, cultural responsiveness, respectful lunch policies, social-emotional learning, limitation on preschool suspensions and non-exclusionary disciplinary policies and practices.

Distance learning has greatly exacerbated the opportunity gap in our state amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rep. Cheryl Youakim (DFL-Hopkins), chair of the House Education Policy Committee. “Our students deserve equal access to education and a safe and welcoming school environment.” Continue reading “Minnesota House Education Policy Committee Advances Legislation to Increase Equity in Education”

House DFL legislators announce economic aid plan for destroyed, damaged businesses

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Today, House DFL legislators who represent the most impacted areas from civil unrest announced the PROMISE Act — a comprehensive plan to help businesses rebuild and recover, many of which are Black, immigrant, and communities of color-owned.

PROMISE stands for Providing Resources, Opportunity and Maximizing Investments in Striving Entrepreneurs. The PROMISE Act is a top special session priority for DFL legislators and is inspired by what many saw and heard from community members and business owners during tours of property damage in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

“We must take immediate action to support and rebuild our wounded communities. The Promise Act will support our communities in an equitable and holistic way so we can rebuild for and by the community,” said Rep. Hodan Hassan (DFL – Minneapolis). “These commercial hubs are the lifeblood of our minority and immigrant communities. By rebuilding with an intentional focus on equity we can avoid the devastating effects of gentrification.”

The legislation would:

  • Create a special panel to review cases and provide direct compensation to impacted individuals.
  • Partner with cities and community organizations to create economic relief programs for impacted businesses and organizations.
  • Give local units of government flexibility and tools to prevent gentrification.
  • Direct the Minnesota Department of Commerce to assist business owners, and require insurance companies to notify the department of any rejected claims.
  • Help with the rising cost of leases for eligible residential and commercial properties.
  • Eliminate the sales tax on the purchase of construction materials used to rebuild damaged or destroyed properties.
  • Provide property and sales tax cuts for eligible properties.
  • Establish a “Metropolitan Area Redevelopment Corporation” to create a long-term plan for equity-driven redevelopment and transformation.

“While we work on long-needed and overdue racial justice and police accountability legislation, we must also help our impacted businesses and communities recover and rebuild,” said House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “These are strong economic and cultural centers of our cities, and we have to help them in a way that promotes equity and prevents gentrification. The extensive property damage and loss in these communities requires us to take urgent action and deliver results.” 

“Our communities and these businesses, many of them minority-owned and already struggling due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, need resources to rebuild,” said House Speaker Melissa Hortman. “Today, we’re putting forward a comprehensive plan to help those impacted, that puts equity at the center of our recovery efforts. The Legislature must move quickly to help these communities recover. I want to thank Majority Leader Winkler for agreeing to lead this important work, and the Minneapolis and St. Paul legislative delegations and city staff for their collaborative work on this proposal.”

 

House HHS Finance Division receives update on COVID-19 in long-term care facilities

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota House Health and Human Services Finance Division held a hearing to receive an update on COVID-19’s impact on Minnesota’s long-term care facilities. Long-term care facilities faced serious difficulties well before COVID-19 emerged – including chronic staffing shortages and infection control challenges – and the current public health crisis has amplified these concerns.

“We know that older folks and other vulnerable Minnesotans suffer disproportionately greater impacts when they contract COVID-19. We have a responsibility to ensure they are able to receive care in an appropriate setting while minimizing their exposure to the virus,” Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL – Rochester), the division’s chair. “The Department of Health is working hard to protect the safety of residents and staff in long-term care facilities.”

Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm shared a comprehensive update on the situation and the department’s plan to address outbreaks. The plan focuses on five key areas: Continue reading “House HHS Finance Division receives update on COVID-19 in long-term care facilities”

Minnesota House Fiinal Week in Review: May 10 – 18

WEEK IN REVIEW

Hortman_gavel

A look back at what happened in the Minnesota House of Representatives the final week of the 2020 session

The 2020 regular legislative session came to an end in the early hours of May 18 as the House and Senate each adjourned sine die.

But lawmakers are far from finished with their work, as bonding, additional funding to battle COVID-19 and taxes are major issues that remain unresolved. There is already talk of a June special session and legislative leaders will be back at work Tuesday, when the recently formed Select Committee on Minnesota’s Pandemic Response and Rebuilding has a 12:30 p.m. meeting scheduled. Continue reading “Minnesota House Fiinal Week in Review: May 10 – 18”

Minnesota House Approves K-12 Finance Bill

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives approved new COVID-19 response legislation for Minnesota K-12 schools. Notably absent from the bill is compensation for hourly school workers, which was blocked by Senate Republicans.

“I’m disappointed with the Senate Republicans for blocking any provision to this bill that includes compensation for our hourly school workers,” said House K-12 Education Finance Chair Jim Davnie (DFL-Minneapolis). “During this crisis, our school staff have stepped up in extraordinary ways. We recognize and respect the value that they create in the lives of our students, and they deserve the dignity of a paycheck.”

The final bill addresses school finance formula glitches resulting from the conversion to the distance learning model. It also creates and legislatively approves certain waivers of state law regarding assessments, and potential licensure issues faced by prospective and current teachers.

In response to the thousands of Minnesota children who have been left behind during this distance learning period due to a lack of access to technology or a lack of internet service, the bill provides more flexibility and resources through Minnesota’s regional library system – a natural hub for communities to gain access to technology.

A copy of the final bill can be found here.

Minnesota House Approves New Higher Education Measures to Help Minnesotans Through and Beyond COVID-19

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives approved new higher education measures to help Minnesotans adapt to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides economic security for students, expands eligibility for more child care assistance, delivers greater support to our native tribal community colleges, and adds more protections from financial harm when colleges suddenly close, especially private for-profit schools, like Argosy.

“Our compromise House and Senate bill addresses additional students’ needs and protections amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” said House Higher Education Committee Chair Connie Bernardy (DFL-New Brighton). “We must do all we can to help degree-seeking Minnesotans. I’ll continue to advocate for students and their families, putting them above profits.”

The bill prohibits a postsecondary institution that is receiving state financial aid from withdrawing a student from class or suspending a student due to an unpaid student account balance. These efforts will help ensure students aren’t penalized if they are forced to withdraw from a class due to the challenges and circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill expands the Office of Higher Education’s Child Care Grant Program to also include postsecondary institutions offering only graduate or professional degrees. This financial resource helps low income students who have young children pay for child care while they attend classes.

Additionally, the new legislation requires new standards for OHE to provide for maximum involvement of and consultation with the Tribal Nations Education Committee in establishing programs and formulating polices related to American Indian students’ post secondary involvement.

A core provision of the higher education bill aims to add more protections to students from financial harms due to abrupt college closures. Despite significant efforts of the House DFL to put an end to predatory and fraudulent practices of private, for-profit colleges, the final bill includes a measure that permits Office of Higher Education to revoke or suspend registration for a degree-granting postsecondary institution if the institution was administratively or judicially determined to have committed fraud or a material violation of law involving state, local, or federal funds. This section had stronger enforcement measures in the House of Representatives, such as revoking registration or approval of an institute of higher education if they fail to prove enrollment at the school, use fraudulent or dishonest practices, and other requirements that were tied to financial viability provisions. The Senate Republicans refused to incorporate these measures into the final bill.

A copy of the bill can be found here.

Minnesota House approves COVID-19 public safety solutions, requirement to test and store rape kits

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – On Saturday, the Minnesota House approved HF 3156, legislation addressing a variety of public safety and corrections solutions to address the COVID-19 pandemic. It also contains other important measures to protect public safety including a requirement that all unrestricted sexual assault examination kits be tested, investments in laboratory enhancements to combat violent crime, and funding for the Department of Corrections to ensure prisons remain safe.

“Public safety is a core component of our state government, and COVID-19 poses many unique challenges for our first responders and people within the corrections system,” said Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – Saint Paul), bill author and chair of the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Division. “The solutions in this bill reflect our shared commitment to addressing public safety broadly, even while much of our attention is directed toward the pandemic and saving lives. House DFLers are making these important investments – even when times are tough – and we hope the Senate Republican Majority can recognize Minnesotans are counting on these solutions as well.”

Solutions to address COVID-19 in the bill include expanded public access to correctional facility data, repeal of double-bunking requirements in prisons, and a direction to health care providers to return COVID-19 test results to public safety specialists as soon as possible. The legislation also gives temporary authority to the Department of Corrections to protect the health and welfare of state correctional employees and inmates – including the authority to release low-risk, nonviolent offenders who have 180 days or less in their term, and includes investments in community supervision. Continue reading “Minnesota House approves COVID-19 public safety solutions, requirement to test and store rape kits”

With Minnesota House approval, new assistance for farmers, producers to be signed into law

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — The Minnesota House of Representatives today approved a major piece of legislation that provides assistance for farmers who are facing economic hardship. Lawmakers also appropriated resources for grain storage safety grants in response to rising work-related accidents and deaths on the farm. The House approved a similar bill on May 13, and the version approved today includes Senate amendments. The bill will now be sent to Governor Walz to be signed into law.

“This legislation will not fully address the needs of Minnesota’s farmers and producers during these challenging times, but it does provide vitally needed support and assistance,” said Rep. Poppe (DFL-Austin), chair of the Agriculture and Food Division, and the bill’s chief author.

The bill uses federal CARES Act dollars to invest in farmer mental health needs, including suicide prevention training and awareness of mental health resources. To enhance capacity for services and support to farmers for their economic well-being, it invests in essential services provided by the Department of Agriculture’s Farm Advocate program. The bill funds the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab equipment which is needed to respond to poultry and livestock diseases like HPAI and ASF.

The 2020 legislative session adjourns on May 18, 2020.