Dear neighbors,
My colleagues and I began considering budget legislation yesterday. I was proud to support the E-12 education budget that was approved by the House.
Today we’ll continue discussing the jobs and energy budget and hear the health and human services budget. Stay tuned for more updates!
Supporting Minnesota Students and Schools
Students, parents, teachers, and staff have been telling legislators for years that funding for schools isn’t adequate. This has forced schools to resort to teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, and bond referendums and operating levies that push the costs onto local taxpayers and create a patchwork education system. Our E-12 education budget increases the state’s commitment to schools by three percent in 2020 and two percent in 2021. It would increase funding by approximately $639 per student in South St. Paul and $591 per student in West St. Paul.
We’ll be spending many hours on the floor considering legislation, amendments, and feedback from Minnesotans in the next few weeks.
A fact sheet about the E-12 education budget is available here. If you’d like more information, you can also read this article from Session Daily.
Strengthening Health Care for All Minnesotans
In my conversations with community members, health care is one of the most common concerns. Our health and human services budget, which will be heard on the floor today, strengthens health care for all Minnesotans by lowering the cost of care, making prescription drugs more affordable, addressing health disparities, and expanding high-quality coverage options. A fact sheet with more information about the budget is available here.
I’m looking forward to making more progress in the remaining weeks of the session. I’ll continue sending regular updates with news from the Capitol. Please stay in touch!
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative