Tag: Minnesota House

Tuesday at 9: House DFL Majority to Announce New Transportation Budget

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – The House DFL Majority is holding a news conference on Tuesday, April 2 at 9 a.m. in Capitol Room B971 to announce a new transportation budget that fixes our roads, bridges, and transit.

The House DFL transportation budget makes honest investments in Minnesota’s crumbling transportation system that will deliver safety, sustainability, modernization, and economic prosperity. A fact sheet with more details will be distributed at the news conference.

WHO:

  • Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman
  • House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler
  • Chair Frank Hornstein
  • Vice-Chair Brad Tabke

WHEN:  Tuesday, April 2 at 9 AM

WHERE:  Capitol Room B971

House Early Childhood Committee Finalizes Its Budget Work

SAINT PAUL, Minn.— The Minnesota House Early Childhood Finance and Policy Division, chaired by Rep. Dave Pinto (DFL – St. Paul), approved two division reports yesterday evening, completing its regular work for the session. The bills (HF 1801, as amended, and HF 2610, as amended) will be sent to the Health and Human Services Finance and Education Finance Divisions, respectively.

“All children deserve a great start to life,” said Rep. Pinto. “We all benefit when that happens. I’m excited to move forward with an ambitious agenda on behalf of the youngest Minnesotans.”

Provisions in the bills parallel House File 1, the Great Start for All Minnesota Children Act, a top priority for the House DFL. As with the Great Start Act, the bills would expand home visiting, a voluntary service that helps to stabilize families at risk. They would expand access to early care and learning for an estimated 8,000 young children through increased investment in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), early learning scholarships, and voluntary pre-kindergarten. And they would provide grants to address Minnesota’s child care shortage.

Other measures in the bills would ensure program integrity, enhancing the ability of investigators to identify and prove any misuse of funds and at the same time helping to prevent such misuse from happening in the first place. Continue reading “House Early Childhood Committee Finalizes Its Budget Work”

Statement from House DFL Leadership on Senate Republican Budget Targets

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Majority Leader Ryan Winkler released the following statements on the budget targets released by Senate Republicans today:

“Senate Republicans are using a tried-and-true Republican gimmick of moving the goalposts to hide how much they’re shortchanging Minnesotans,” said Speaker Hortman. “Their budget won’t get Minnesota children the world-class schools they deserve. It will put affordable health care further out of reach for Minnesotans. And the Senate Republican budget won’t increase economic security for our families and give them the chance to succeed. As the House and Senate begin moving budget bills forward, House DFLers are committed to building a state that will work better for everyone.”

“Minnesota will be moving backwards under the Senate Republican budget,” said Majority Leader Winkler. “The choices will be clear for Minnesotans: continue down the Republican path that prioritizes corporations, the wealthy, and health insurance companies; or the DFL budget that will make honest investments in the things Minnesotans value: affordable health care, great schools, safe & inclusive communities, and reliable roads, bridges, and transit. The House DFL is committed to responsible budgeting, correcting the destructive Republican budgets, and building a brighter future for all Minnesotans.”

Minnesota House Unanimously Approves EMS Patient-Assisted Medication Bill

– Today, the Minnesota House passed legislation that directs the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board to propose guidelines for personnel to assist patients with administering certain prescription medications in emergency situations. The bill (HF 85), authored by Rep. Jeff Brand (DFL-St. Peter), passed 126-0.

“There’s a nine-year-old girl in my district named Bailey Johnson, and as she stated in the House Health and Human Services Committee, her ‘adrenal glands don’t work like other kids’,’” said Rep. Brand. “She has congenital adrenal hyperplasia, so she carries a lifesaving medication with her at all times. Paramedics and other emergency responders aren’t allowed to administer this medication to Bailey, but today’s passage puts us on the right path to changing that. I want to thank my colleagues for their support with this legislation, and I want to thank Bailey and the Johnson family for being such steadfast advocates for this cause.”

The bill requires proposed guidelines and necessary draft legislation to be submitted to the Legislature by January 1, 2020. The Senate version (SF 153), authored by Sen. Torrey Westrom (R-Elbow Lake), is expected to receive a floor vote in the next few weeks.

House passes bill that would change legal definition of sexual harassment

The definition of sexual harassment in Minnesota law could be changed to clarify that sexually offensive behavior need not be “severe or pervasive” in order for it to be subject to litigation.

That legal standard, currently being used by Minnesota courts, has made it extremely difficult for those who have experienced sexual harassment to seek justice and accountability in the courts, said Rep. Kelly Moller (DFL-Shoreview). “This bill is necessary to ensure that workers are safe in their workplaces.”

She sponsors HF10, which, as amended, was passed 113-10 by the House Thursday. It now goes to the Senate where Sen. Kari Dziedzic (DFL-Mpls) is the sponsor.

View the complete March 21 article by Tim Walker on the Minnesota House of Representative Public Information website here.

Education Finance Committee Approves Bipartisan Suicide Prevention Training for Teachers Bill

Suicide is the leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 10 and 17

SAINT PAUL, MN – Today, Rep. Ruth Richardson (DFL, Mendota Heights) presented legislation (H.F. 813) in the Education Finance Committee to fund suicide prevention training for Minnesota teachers in every school district, charter school, intermediate school district, service cooperative, and tribal school in Minnesota. Under the bill, a nationally recognized provider of evidence-based training on suicide prevention would offer online training for teachers on suicide prevention and engaging students experiencing mental distress.

“We are facing a serious public health crisis in our communities and schools,” said Rep. Ruth Richardson. “We know suicide is preventable and that this public health crisis requires a community-based response. Given the amount of time our kids spend at school, a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention has to start with teachers.”

Suicide is the leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 10 and 17.

The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in a future education finance division report. Sen. Carla Nelson (R, Rochester) has authored companion legislation in the Senate.

House Transportation Committee to review transportation impacts on climate change in Minnesota

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – On Thursday, February 14 at 12:45 p.m., the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee will discuss new data from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency identifying transportation as the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the state. The committee will hear testimony regarding electrification of the state’s transportation systems.

Developing electric infrastructure of cars, buses, and other ways in which the state can reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions will be up for discussion.

WHAT: House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee hearing on transportation and climate

WHO: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, state agencies, businesses and environmental advocates discussing transportation, climate, and electrification of state transportation systems.

WHERE: Room 10, Minnesota State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, 55155

WHEN: Thursday, February 14, 2019, 12:45-2:15 p.m.

Moller bill strengthening protections against sexual harassment scheduled for House Judiciary Committee Thursday

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – On Thursday, the Minnesota House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Division will consider HF 10, a bill authored by Rep. Kelly Moller (DFL – Shoreview), to modernize Minnesota’s sexual harassment law to remove such behavior from Minnesota workplaces. For decades, courts have upheld an unreasonable “severe or pervasive” threshold when applying sexual harassment law, making it extremely difficult for those who have experienced harassment to see justice and accountability. Rep. Moller’s bill will remove this roadblock by providing much-needed clarification to Minnesota’s Human Rights Act.

WHAT: House Judiciary Division hearing on HF 10, a bill aimed at eliminating sexual harassment from Minnesota workplaces.

WHO: Rep. Kelly Moller (DFL – Shoreview), bill chief-author; Sheila Engelmeier, attorney, Engelmeier & Umanah PA; Leslie L. Lienemann, attorney, Culberth & Lienemann, LLP; Megan Peterson, Executive Director, Gender Justice; survivors of sexual harassment.

WHEN: Thursday, February 7, 9:45 a.m.

WHERE: Room 10, State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, 55155.

House OKs bill allowing homeowners to reject racially restrictive covenants

Homeowners who find racially restrictive covenants on their property titles could have an opportunity to place an affidavit on that title rejecting the covenant, under a bill passed 128-0 by the House Monday.

Sponsored by Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL-Mpls), HF51 heads to the Senate where Sen. Jeff Hayden (DFL-Mpls) is the sponsor.

“This bill confronts historical inequities so that we can also attack the inequities of today,” Davnie said.

View the complete February 4 article by Tim Walker on the Minnesota House of Represenatives’ Public Information Service website here.

Minnesota House, Senate Members to Introduce United Black Legislative Caucus

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – On Wednesday, members of the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate will announce a United Black Legislative Caucus as part of Black History Month. The goal of the caucus will be to elevate and advocate for issues relating to Minnesota’s black communities. 

WHAT: Press conference announcing United Black Legislative Caucus

WHO: Representative Ruth Richardson, Representative Mohamud Noor, Representative Hodan Hassan, Representative Rena Moran, Senator Bobby Joe Champion and Senator Jeff Hayden

WHERE: Room B971, Minnesota State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, 55155

WHEN: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 11:00 am