Dear neighbors, I hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful holiday season and that you’re able to relax, reflect, and recover this week as we look forward to a new year! New Laws Take EffectSeveral new laws take effect on Saturday, January 1, including a measure that makes members of the 11 federally recognized tribes in Minnesota eligible for free annual parks permits. This was part of the bipartisan Environment and Natural Resources budget I helped develop. In addition to making it easier for Indigenous Minnesotans to access state parks, it will strengthen relationships between tribal governments and state agencies. If you’d like to learn more, MinnPost published an article about this law a few months ago. Another new law requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations to workers who are pregnant or new parents. Under this law, pregnant Minnesotans can request limits to heavy lifting and more frequent breaks to eat, drink, or use the restroom. It also ensures workers receive breaks to pump breast milk and aren’t docked pay when they use them. WCCO recently published an article about the bipartisan measure, which will benefit tens of thousands of Minnesotans each year. A list of all the laws taking effect this week is available here. Stay Connected The 2022 legislative session starts on Monday, January 31. If you have questions about next session or ideas you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact me by email at rep.rick.hansen@house.mn or call (651) 296-6828. Sincerely, Rick Hansen
State Representative |