Greetings,
Conference committee negotiations in all of the spending areas within state government – K-12 Education, public safety, environment, etc. – are moving full speed ahead. The committees are made up of five representatives and five senators, and they will eventually create proposals within their specific funding area that can be approved in both the House and Senate.
Currently the committees are reviewing individual proposals contained within each of the omnibus bills and determining whether they should stay or go. It is a long process to be sure, but one that must take place in order to move forward and ultimately help set the state’s budget.
In the meantime we continue to try and engage Governor Dayton and his staff to work with us on the financial portions of our bills.
This week the Minnesota House approved a pair of bills that protect women’s health and protect the taxpayers when it comes to funding abortions. To be truthful, these provisions are more common sense than they are controversial.
The first requires the Minnesota Department of Health to license and inspect facilities that perform ten or more abortions per month. Women who enter these facilities rightly expect that they are safe, sanitary and licensed. This change – already implemented by 25 other states – would ensure that expectation.
The second bill would prohibit taxpayer funding of abortions from state-sponsored health programs administered by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Both bills were approved on a bipartisan basis in the House.
Children’s foster care rights
The House also approved a bill this week that would inform children in foster care that are at least ten years old of their right to a no-cost attorney in a juvenile proceeding, and would apply to kids who have been removed from their homes. The bill was drafted after 12-year-old McKenna Ahrenholz wrote lawmakers about her negative experiences with the state’s child protection system. The bill was approved unanimously.
Student visit
I was pleased to address seniors from Sauk Rapids Rice High School this week. Plenty of great questions were asked from the students about current affairs and the legislative process.
If you know of anyone who would like to receive future email updates, forward this email to them and have them sign up here. Also, if you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me at either 651-296-7808 or rep.tim.odriscoll@house.mn.
Sincerely,
Tim