I hope you all had a great last week during the legislative break. While the last few days have been dreary we all know that the warm weather is almost here. The overcast weather matched the mood in the Minnesota Senate this week as we hit our third deadline today. Next week we will start to hear omnibus bills on the floor, you can find the schedule on the Minnesota Senate website.
Governor Walz and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced this week that Minnesota will receive a federal Community Vaccination Clinic, this site will help Minnesota augment the state vaccination efforts. The site will be located at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds and receive over 150,000 doses over eight weeks. Vaccinations will begin at the Fairgrounds on April 14th.
Today, March 19th is the second legislative deadline. We continue to hear bills in committee and on the Senate Floor. Finance. Committees add additional hearings to make sure that bills meet deadlines. In the Human Services Reform Committee we heard 22 bills on Tuesday, after our scheduled hearing time we came back in the evening to hear additional bills.
On Monday, March 15 at 12:00 p.m. the COVID-19 guidance updates went into effect. Here are the newest provisions:
This week Governor Walz announced that over 70% of Minnesotans age 65 and older weeks have been vaccinated. This means that more Minnesotans are now eligible to receive the COVID-19. Due to an increase in vaccine supply, Minnesotans in phases 1b and 1c are now eligible to receive the vaccine.
I recommend signing up for the Vaccine Connector. Also talk to your local health providers or workplace management to see if the current availability to get the vaccine.
This week marks a year since Minnesota had its first confirmed case of COVID-19. The way we live our lives has changed significantly since March of 2020. As of today, 58.2% of Minnesotans ages 65+ have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. On March 3, we reached 1,498,369 doses of the vaccine administered. 975,781 Minnesotans had received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 516,422 having completed a full vaccine series. Minnesota ranks third in the nation in the percentage of vaccine doses received being administered.
This week Governor Walz released the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector. Input your information into the webpage and they will contact you when it’s your turn to get the vaccine. Minnesotans who already registered for an appointment through the pilot program or the community vaccination program do not need to resubmit their information for the Vaccine Connector. If you are 65+ you are still encouraged to use the Vaccine Locator map to find and make an appointment to receive the vaccine through the listed providers, or you can contact your regular provider directly.
Currently, vaccine eligibility is still limited to Minnesotans 65+, health care workers, long-term care residents, childcare, and K-12 personnel. As long as you are over the age of 18, you can sign up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector and you will be notified once it is your turn to receive the shot.
We are at the end of the fifth week of our legislative session. As a reminder if you want to watch what is happening at the Minnesota Senate committee hearings and floor sessions online.
I started this week with a press conference where we introduced the Minnesota adult-use cannabis bill. Fifteen states and Washington D.C. have passed adult-use cannabis, and Minnesota should be the next. Two years ago, I introduced a bill outlining the legalization of adult-use cannabis in Minnesota, and I remain committed to these efforts. We have seen racial disparities in our criminal justice system for minor cannabis offenses, which have rippling effects in our communities. Our neighbors in South Dakota voted for adult-use cannabis, and North Dakota will likely hear legislation regarding it. Minnesota needs to progress forward and join these other states. I am the lead author on this bill, and I look forward to having many discussions about this bill and moving Minnesota forward.
Welcome to the end of our fourth week in session, a week filled with conversations surrounding the budget. Governor Walz released his 2022 – 2023 budget priorities on Tuesday, and we are working our way through the recommendations. The budget recommendations come directly from Governor Walz’s office, not budget recommendations that the Minnesota Senate. There is a lot to unpack in these recommendations, but we will be going through specific sections during committees. On Thursday, Commissioner Harpstead joined the Human Services Reform Committee as we dove into the 479 page Human Services budget recommendation.
Along with budget recommendations, this week Governor Walz released the Due North Education Plan. This education reform plan aims to address the education needs brought on and continued with the pandemic. This plan prioritizes equitable education for all Minnesota students regardless of race, income level, or geographic location. It also focuses on funding for mental health, funding summer school programs, and early childhood education.
In COVID-19 vaccine rollout news, there has been a change in the system. The new lottery system in place allows people 24 hours to pre-register and then individuals are chosen randomly selected for an appointment. The Minnesota Department of Health has noted that the pilot sites are just the beginning of the vaccine rollout and will not be the way that most Minnesotans will receive their vaccine. As Minnesota gets more vaccines from the federal government, more locations will open, and people will be able to get the vaccine at their health care provider’s office or local pharmacy.
I encourage you to join the first Senate District 49 Town Hall of 2021 in coordination with the League of Women Voters Edina and LWV Bloomington. I will join Rep. Heather Edelson (DFL – House District 49A) and Rep. Steve Elkins (DFL – House District 49B) on Tuesday, February 9th from 7:00 – 8:30 P.M to address a series of important issues to the community, answer questions, and preview the 2021 legislative session priorities. To join the Zoom participants will need to RSVP, and while signing up, you will be able to submit questions. The Zoom invite will be sent out the day before and will be live streamed to Facebook.
I continue to have many meeting with people lately to discuss legislative priorities and planning the 2021 – 2022 legislation. This legislative session feels extremely different than past session due to COVID-19. In the past in-person meetings were the norm, our hallways were always filled with people and I could meet with people face to face! This session has been completely different, we still have virtual committee hearings, virtual meetings, and hybrid floor sessions. As the Senate DFL Assistant Minority Leader, I still go into the office spend more time at the Senate Building. We are all trying to learn and adjust to the needs of everyone involved in the legislative process, please understand that this legislative session will continue to look different than past sessions.
