Tag: Sen. Latz

Dear Neighbor,

On Tuesday, January 5, 2021 I was sworn in to serve another term representing SD46 in the State Senate. It continues to be an honor and privilege to serve the communities of St. Louis Park, Plymouth, Hopkins, Medicine Lake, and Golden Valley. I will serve on the Judiciary and Public Safety Policy and Finance Committee (where I am the DFL ranking member) as well as the Civil Law and Data Practices Policy Committee.

There are many pressing issues to be addressed in our state. The continued effort to contain and slow the spread of COVID-19, the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, and creating and passing a two-year balanced budget, are several major tasks on our legislative agenda. In the coming weeks, I will be sharing a newsletter more closely focusing upon my work and the work of the legislature.

However, this would be an incomplete letter without addressing the insurgency in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. Armed individuals spurred on by the President’s rhetoric and total disregard for the Constitution and our duly elected government violently breached the United States Capitol. This was an attempted coup – shall I say insurrection, sedition, treason – by those who have deeply bought in to the repeatedly disproven claims that the election results in President-elect Joe Biden’s favor are fraudulent. Four years of inflammatory, conspiratorial and violence-encouraging messages from the White House – and their repetition and amplification by some political leadership at the state and national levels – have led to this and I fear this may be the beginning of repeated, coordinated actions against government. It is incumbent upon leaders across the nation to speak out in condemnation of this and to continue the difficult work of supporting and defending the U.S. Constitution in the face of domestic terrorists. 

Capitol Update: Friday, April 24, PUA Payments Begin

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced today that the agency has begun making Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) payments to people who are self-employed, independent contractors, and other eligible recipients who are not eligible for regular unemployment benefits. PUA is a new program that was authorized by Congress in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and signed into law on March 27, 2020.

In less than one month, DEED’s unemployment insurance team created the infrastructure to implement this brand new program, determine eligibility, prevent fraud and adapt to the unprecedented challenges caused by COVID-19. While it will take DEED some time to determine eligibility for everyone who applies for PUA, they are working closely with the Department of Revenue to expedite that process. Minnesota is proudly one of the first states in the nation to implement all three components of the federal CARES Act and provide critical financial assistance to hundreds of thousands of people who have been impacted by this pandemic.

Here’s what Minnesotans need to know about applying for PUA: Continue reading “Sen. Ron Latz (SD36) Update: April 24, 2020”

CAPITOL UPDATE: MORNING OF MARCH 10, 2020

Session is in full force as we enter the month of March. In the number of weeks since the beginning of session, the legislature has yet to pass any sort of meaningful legislation. As you will find in this Capitol Update, the DFL-led House has been quick to take up matters that will improve and impact the lives of many in Minnesota. Measures to combat gun violence, two of which I am the Chief Author of in the Senate, passed off of the House floor. The House also passed an insulin bill and a voter privacy bill. All three of these bills are awaiting Senate action. While I am encouraged by the early action of the House, there is much time left to find compromise and pass solutions that work for all Minnesotans.

Budget

In recent weeks, Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) released its February forecast, estimating a $1.513 billion budgetary balance. Although this balance is larger than the November 2019 forecast, it is my belief that much of this money will not available for ongoing spending and if spent, would be used for one-time purposes.

The outlook for Minnesota is stable, and this is encouraging. However, there is still a slowdown remaining in the forecast. We need to be cautious with this. The small budgetary improvement will continue into the next biennium and the structural balance is improved, but after accounting for inflation to maintain current service levels into the next biennium, there is little room for additional spending now. We need to be careful to balance any new spending with new revenue in order to protect our economy and the quality of life in Minnesota from any future instability Continue reading “Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: March 10, 2020”