Dear Friends,
Our second bill deadline is tonight at midnight. The Legislature will be on Easter/Passover break next week and members will be home in their communities. When we return, we’ll have the major issues of the session left to do before adjournment. Here are some updates from the Capitol:
State Employee Contracts and Pensions
After a long delay, contracts for 30,000 state employees were ratified by the House and Senate and signed by Gov. Dayton. These contracts were fairly negotiated last year, but continuously blocked by Republican majorities. Our neighbors – the people who provide the services that make our state such a special place to live – should never have their livelihood used as a bargaining chip. When we return after the break, efforts to dismantle labor unions will continue in the Capitol and I will be a part of the fight to stop that.
Medical Assistance (MA) Requirements
This week, the Health and Human Services Finance Committee passed a bill adding additional requirements for people receiving Medical Assistance (MA). MA provides health care coverage for Minnesotans with disabilities, pregnant mothers, children, seniors, and those with incomes below $16,000.
Most Minnesotans receiving MA already work and many struggle with conditions making it difficult to maintain employment. Taking away their health care is cruel and makes employment more difficult. It is wildly expensive, costing taxpayers millions of dollars and adding an expensive unfunded mandate to the counties who will be required to verify the work status of roughly 161,000 people. The bureaucracy to implement this doesn’t exist. I voted against this bill.
Instead, let’s recognize that working your way out of poverty is very difficult. Let’s build the economic ladder to the middle class by assuring affordable child care, health care, mental health resources and job skills training.
Protecting and Expanding Pre-Kindergarten Funding
Last year, 59 school districts and charter schools around our state received one-time funding for pre-Kindergarten programs. I was delighted for the schools who received funding, but maintain my commitment to expand voluntary pre-K, with licensed teachers, for Minnesota’s youngest learners.
The St. Paul Public School District received $1.7 million in one-time funding and, unless we continue to fund it, 227 St. Paul four-year-olds and 4,000 statewide will lose access to pre-K in the fall of 2019. We need to not only extend this investment, but expand it and make it permanent. Those engaged in early learning know the opportunities pre-K provides are
instrumental to future success.
I look forward to working to bring these opportunities to all Minnesota families.
It’s a pleasure to meet so many constituents each week.
Thank you all for bringing your voices to the Capitol.
Mighty Together,
Erin