Weekly Review Video

A weekly message from your Senator

Dear Constituents and Friends,

Happy first week of session! We returned to St. Paul to officially kick off the 2020 legislative session on Tuesday. While this is a shorter session, there is still much work to be done. The first order of business this session will be for the legislature to get to work on putting together a bonding bill along with continuing to work on passing policy bills.

The session began with a tribute to the Guard members lost in the December helicopter crash near St. Cloud. Honored were Chief Warrant Officer 2 James A. Rogers Jr., Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles P. Nord, and Sgt. Kort M. Plantenberg. Members of their families were there to receive the memorial resolutions on their behalf.

Regular committee schedules will begin next week. I will continue serving on the Taxes, Transportation Finance and Policy, and Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committees this session. I will also be serving on the Task Force on Medical Cannabis Therapeutic Research.

I have already introduced legislation to modify the current medical cannabis program in Minnesota, as it is currently one of the strictest in the country. These modifications will increase access and affordability for those in the state who need this program the most (SF 3130). I am also working on bonding proposals in our community, such as projects at Normandale Community College (SF 3051) and the Edina South Metro Public Safety Training Facility (SF 3058). In addition, I have introduced language to explicitly add government-issued ID from US territories as sufficient identification to purchase alcohol, as it is not currently clearly stated in statute (SF 3023). For more information on bills I have introduced, check out my Senate website.

As always, I look forward to seeing you at the Capitol and hearing about the issues you care about most. What are your priorities for this session? My door is always open!

Sincerely,

Melisa

A special Happy Valentine’s Day to you from the Senate DFL Women!

Legislature attends One Minnesota Conference

The Humphrey School of Public Affairs hosted Wednesday of this week the annual  all-day One Minnesota Legislative Policy Conference. The bicameral, bipartisan event focuses on improving the state’s legislative process. Topics this year included economic and demographic realities, redistricting, negotiating skills and tools, and more. The focus of the conference was improving the end of session process – improving transparency in the process and ensuring a timely end to session have been topics of conversations in recent years as vetoes and special sessions have become more common.

HHS Committee hears Patient Insulin Assistance Proposal

SF 3019 (Jensen, Pratt) had its first hearing this week in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. This bill is a response to ongoing, bipartisan attempts at compromise on developing an emergency insulin program. This legislation is one of multiple proposals in the House and Senate.

The bill includes provisions such as providing up to 60-day supply of emergency insulin. Prior to receiving a second 30-day emergency supply, the patient must connect with MNsure to determine eligibility for other insurance or insulin assistance programs. It also implements a Patient Insulin Assistance Program run through health care practitioner. The bill does require manufacturers to participate as a condition of doing business in MN at no cost to the patient or provider.

The bill was moved as amended to the Commerce Committee.

Tweet of the Week

Two-day convening brought Senator Franzen and other Latino lawmakers together around effective policymaking and governance strategies on key issues

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Senator Melisa Franzen, DFL-Edina, joined the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, and more than 65 other Latino state legislators for the NALEO Legislative Summit in Las Vegas from October 25-26, 2019.

The convention provided Senator Franzen and Latino lawmakers from across the nation with the opportunity to enhance the governance skills and capacity needed to become more effective advocates for their constituents ahead of upcoming legislative sessions. Over the two-days, Summit members addressed ways to formulate innovative approaches and policy solutions from a position of leadership.

“What a privilege and honor it was for me to be able to convene with fellow Latino lawmakers to bring back great ideas to be a more effective legislator for my constituents and for the state of Minnesota,” said Sen. Franzen. “The NALEO Legislative Summit provided a space for the exchange of policy ideas, the building of collaborative partnerships, and thoughtful discussion about how best to tackle challenges and create opportunities in our respective states.” Continue reading “Senator Franzen joins Latino State Legislators in Las Vegas for NALEO Legislative Summit”

September, 2019

An interim update from your Senator

Dear Constituents and Friends,

As the summer comes to an end, I want to update you on my work during this busy interim. While session ended in May, representing our district is ongoing. It has been great to continue meeting with constituents and hearing about the issues that you care about most.

I am pleased to inform that I was appointed to the Task Force on Medical Cannabis Therapeutic Research. I look forward to working to ensure that medical cannabis is both accessible and affordable.

I have included a sampling of the activities that I have attended during this busy interim and some of the events I plan to participate in the future. Continue reading “Sen. Melisa Franzen (SD49) Update: September 5, 2019”

Dear Constituents and Friends,

Minnesota proved that divided government is not easy but can work. This legislative session was a compromise between a new DFL Governor, a DFL House and a GOP Senate. Despite a short special session to complete our work, we were able to make critical investments in our state. We passed a state budget of $48.3 billion over the next two years, no tax increase and a cut in the income tax rate. My biggest concern is that we tapped into our state reserves to the tune of $500 million, leaving only $491 million on the bottom line, to prop up spending in the next biennium. This shift could jeopardize Minnesota’s long-term fiscal health and the state’s AAA bond rating.

A significant compromise this session in health care was the repeal of the sunset of the 2% provider tax, set at a new, ongoing level of 1.8%. The additional revenue from the tax opened up opportunities in the budget to make investments in many programs that will improve the lives of Minnesotans, including help for low-income families, improving access to health care for people with disabilities, and investments that build out the state’s mental health system. We provided a 2% increase each year in the basic per pupil funding formula for schools and included $90 million for special education. We also froze tuition increases for the University of Minnesota and MinnState at 3% for the next two years. Continue reading “Sen. Melisa Franzen (SD49) Update: June 7, 2019”