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Dear neighbors,
Yesterday, my colleagues and I approved legislation to support hourly school employees. The bill ensures paraprofessionals, nutrition services staff, child care workers, bus drivers, and other school staff will get paid through the end of the school year. These workers have gone above and beyond to help Minnesota students and families. They deserve economic security and our support – especially during these difficult times. More information about this legislation is available here.
We also passed a bipartisan bill to ensure Minnesota’s elections remain safe and secure. This legislation extends the absentee voting period and establishes special procedures to protect voters and poll workers during this year’s primary and general elections. It also allows our state to use federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funds to improve election accessibility and cybersecurity. You can read more about it here.
Safely Resuming Elective Surgeries
Today, Governor Walz unveiled a plan to safely resume elective surgeries. Starting next week, doctors, dentists, and veterinarians will be allowed to perform elective procedures once they create a plan to keep staff, patients, and visitors safe and develop criteria for determining which procedures should resume.
Environmental Bills Advance
Yesterday, the House Ways and Means Committee approved two bills that I’m championing. One of the bills, which I’ve mentioned in several previous emails, invests $61.4 million from Minnesota’s Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund in projects across the state. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans are threatening to block these much-needed investments. MPR recently published an article about the impact this would have on environmental jobs and projects. You can read it here.
The Ways and Means Committee also approved my bill to ban the use of perchloroethylene as a dry cleaning solvent. Both bills will now advance to the House floor.
As the legislative session comes to a close, your input is more important than ever. Please keep sharing your questions, feedback, and suggestions.
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative
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