Tag: Rep. Howard

Dear Neighbors,

The 2019 Legislative Session has concluded and Governor Walz has signed our new state budget into law.

The final budget represents a compromise between Governor Walz, the DFL-led House and the Republican-led Senate. It’s also a good deal for Minnesotans. We protected health care for more than 1 million vulnerable Minnesotans, made needed investments in education from cradle-to-career, and prioritized economic security for Minnesota families by investing in housing and child care. We secured these victories in the only divided state government in the country, avoiding a protracted budget showdown.

That said, important work went unfinished. Unfortunately, the Republican-led Senate was far more interested in preserving the status quo than moving a forward-looking agenda that invests in Minnesotans and our communities.

So that means we have work to do – to organize and build momentum for important legislation that we will take up in earnest when the 2020 session begins next February. Here are some highlights of our budget as well as an initial “To Do List” for the 2020 session:

HEALTH CARE

• Protected health care access for 1.2 million Minnesotans, preserving ongoing funding for Minnesotans’ care that was jeopardized by Republican efforts to eliminate it
• Provided first increase in MFIP family cash assistance in more than 30 years

EDUCATION

• Invested more than $500 million in E-12 education, providing a “2% and 2%” increase on the general education formula and freezing the special education cross-subsidy
• Extended pre-K funding, ensuring more than 4,000 young learners have access to quality pre-K in their communities

HOUSING

• Provided $180 million total investment in housing to increase and preserve affordable housing options throughout the state
• Invested $3.5 million in Homework Starts with Home, a bill I authored to combat youth homelessness and connect families with rental assistance and support
• Passed my right-of-first-refusal bill that will protect residents of manufactured homes and bolster the use of manufactured homes to address our affordable housing crisis

ENVIRONMENT

• Invested in greater research, enforcement, and accountability for chronic wasting disease and aquatic and invasive species
• Passed “Lawns to Legumes,” securing $900,000 for pollinator friendly yard grants for residents

TAXES

• Passed federal tax conformity that benefits low and middle-income Minnesotans
• Invested an increase of $61 million dollars in Local Government Aid, supporting our local communities and helping to hold down property taxes

TO DO LIST FOR 2020 

The Republican-led Senate blocked several important bills that were priorities for many of you. I look forward to working together to move the ball forward on these important bills in the months to come:

• Pass the Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act and other reforms to make prescription medication more affordable and hold big pharmaceutical companies accountable
• Enact common-sense gun violence prevention reforms
• Pass the 100% clean energy by 2050 standard, making Minnesota a national leader in renewable energy
• Make new investments in housing, specifically to address the loss of naturally occurring affordable housing in our communities
• Invest in a 21^st Century transportation system that addresses roads, bridges and transit needs across the state
• Restore voting rights for Minnesota felons who have served their time
• Ban conversion therapy
• Pass guaranteed paid family leave and earned sick-and-safe time for Minnesota workers
• Driver’s Licenses for All

Please Stay In Touch
Representing our Richfield and Bloomington communities in the Minnesota House has been an honor this session. I am grateful for all of your input and support and look forward to staying in touch. We expect to hold some issue forums in the coming months to debrief on the progress we’ve made and the important work ahead. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to call or e-mail with a question or idea.  As always, you can reach me at rep.michael.howard@house.mn or at (651) 296-7158.

In partnership,

Michael Howard

Neighbors,

Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: May 21, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

There are only a few days left in the legislative session before our constitutional deadline of May 20^th. As I write this, Governor Walz, Speaker Hortman, and Senate Majority Leader Gazelka continue to meet to discuss our state budget and work to reach consensus.

This time of session can be frustrating for Minnesotans because political gamesmanship can take the focus away from where it should be – the decisions that will make a difference in the lives of others.

We are continuing to fight for a budget that invests in the things that Minnesotans care about – improving education, increasing access to affordable health care, and making our communities more inclusive and safe. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: May 17, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

This week the DFL House completed our initial budget work by passing our remaining finance bills off the House floor. This sets the stage for the final weeks of session, where we hope to reach an agreement with Governor Walz and the Minnesota Senate on a budget that will strengthen our communities and improve the lives of Minnesotans.

Minnesota Values Budget

I am proud to support the Minnesota Values Budget that House DFL Majority has passed off the House floor. We are investing in the priorities that all Minnesotans value: affordable health care, world-class schools, safe communities, and economic security for everyone. And we are doing so with an honest, responsible budget that doesn’t rely on gimmicks or budget tricks that would throw us back into deficits. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: May 3, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

We had a long week at the Minnesota House as my colleagues and I debated, amended, and ultimately passed components of our Minnesota Values Budget off the House Floor. This will likely be the case next week as well, as we engage in the work to balance our state budget. I am proud of the bold budget we are moving forward with and believe it will help improve lives and strengthen communities.

Here are some highlights of the budget bills we’ve passed this week.

E-12 Education

All of our students deserve access to a world-class education, and to that end, we are making historic investments in education from cradle-to-career. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: April 26, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

The Minnesota House just finished its floor session today, and we will be off next week for the Easter and Passover break. When we return, the legislature will begin taking up budget bills on the House floor and debating some of the most important priorities of the session. To that end, I would be grateful if you would take a moment to complete my brief legislative survey. I would love to learn more about your values and priorities as we enter this important phase of the legislative session.

You can fill out my legislative survey online here, and a Spanish language version here.

77^th Street Underpass Included in House Bonding Bill 

We had exciting news for Richfield and our entire south metro region this week when my bill to fund the last phase of our 77^th Street/Cedar Underpass was included in the House Capital Investment Bill. A major thank you to Mayor Maria Regan Gonzalez and local leaders that came to the Capitol to testify on this important project. With this funding we could break ground soon on an important investment for our region and state. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: April 12, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

The Minnesota House is hard at work preparing our state budget. I want to give you an update on some of our priorities, as well as other key bills moving through the legislature.

Public Safety and Transformative Criminal Justice Reform 

It has been a privilege to serve on the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform committee, and this week we finalized our omnibus bill. We passed a transformational bill that takes our charge to focus on criminal justice reform to heart, including:

• Police Excellence Task Force, which I authored to improve public trust and accountability with law enforcement
• Significant probation reform and limiting cash bail
• Restoration of voting rights to those that have served their time
• Creation of a sexual assault working group to address systemic gender-based violence
• Real action to address gun violence, including background checks on gun sales and extreme risk protection orders

Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: April 5, 2019”

Dear Neighbors,

We’re a little over halfway through the legislative session, and our work in committees is starting to produce smart, impactful legislation, with some bills already passing on the House floor. Here’s an update on some of the recent events at the State Capitol:

Making Prescription Drugs Affordable and Accessible

This week, we stood with Minnesotans impacted by the high cost of prescription drugs to acknowledge our responsibility to stand up to the powerful interests driving up costs. Nearly one in four adults in the U.S. struggle to afford prescription drugs, forcing some patients to make impossible choices. Our Minnesota House DFL plan to address this issue will make prescription drugs more affordable by holding Big Pharma accountable. Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: March 29, 2019”