Dear Friends,
It was another week of long days and long nights at the Capitol this week, as the Minnesota House continued to debate the House Democrat majority’s omnibus finance proposals. A review of several of these bills can be found below. As I am writing this update, the tax and commerce bills are still being debated. I will comment on those two bills in next week’s update.
I apologize in advance the length of this update. Lots of important bills to review!
HUMAN SERVICES BUDGET BILL FAILS TO ADDRESS NURSING HOME CRISIS
I will not support a Human Services bill that does not address our nursing home crises. Our elders are too important, and we cannot continue to kick this can down the road.
We are in the middle of a long-term care crisis with nursing homes closing across our state. Families are waiting months and looking up to 4 hours away to find a safe place for their loved one. Hospitals are clogged with patients that should be discharged to nursing homes. Unlike other facilities, nursing homes are the only other option besides a hospital with nurses around the clock. Since 2020, almost 2,600 nursing home beds have been taken out of service. That is the equivalent of fifty average-sized nursing homes.
Again, I’d like to acknowledge the good, bi-partisan long-term care funding that’s being addressed in this bill by the House Majority. There are much needed increases for Personal Care Assistants, Assisted Living Facilities, and Home and Community-Based Services (care for the disabled). These are important areas for which I’ve long advocated, and I’m very happy to see them well addressed.
Yet, despite a budget surplus of $17.5 billion, my Democrat colleagues brought a bill to the floor that only provides $3.9 million to address the nursing home crisis. This is less than the amount of funding provided for grants going to homeowners who want to convert their lawns to pollinator friendly habitats. This is ridiculous. It will do nothing to help our in-crises nursing homes. I voted against this bill.
PUBLIC SAFETY PROPOSAL SOFT ON CRIME AND LACKING SUPPORT FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
The omnibus public safety bill was passed on a totally partisan vote and was disappointing in numerous ways. It literally gives a “get out of jail free” card for criminals. It makes thousands of incarcerated felons eligible for early release and reduces sentences for violent offenders. This includes those convicted of violent crimes including manslaughter, rape, kidnapping, assault, or domestic assault. The bill also senselessly provides over $100 million dollars to non-profits with little accountability rather than sending that money directly to law enforcement to help fight crime.
It also includes two significant Democrat gun control measures that will do nothing to stop violent crime but will impact the rights of law-abiding citizens.
There are also some good provisions in this omnibus bill, but the bad far outweighs the good. It was another no vote from me.
MAKING SURE PEDOPHILES ARE NOT A PROTECTED CLASS IN MINNESOTA
A concerning component in the Judicial Policy bill made the national news. This concern was with changing the definition of sexual orientation in the Human Rights Act to REMOVE the language “Sexual orientation does not include a physical or sexual attachment to children by an adult.”
The removal of this sentence could allow the potential for an argument to be made that pedophiles are protected under the human rights act.
This is very concerning to me and many others. You may or may not be aware, but there are national and international activist groups that are even now pushing hard to normalize pedophilia and give it legitimacy as a sexual orientation. Perish the thought that this would ever happen. We must protect our children from these dangers at all costs and should never provide any kind of loophole or gray area that could allow this kind of abhorrent activity to be given legitimacy.
In response to this concern, my Republican colleagues and I offered an amendment to this bill that would add the following language: “The physical or sexual attachment to children by an adult is not a protected class under this chapter.”
I am happy to say that this amendment passed with 100% green votes. It gives me comfort that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle agree on the importance of protecting children from the horrors of pedophilia. Thank you!
EXTREME HEALTH BILL MOVES FORWARD
I am sorry to have to be so negative, but this bill is sadly another example of the extreme measures that are being passed in the Minnesota House where I felt my only choice was to vote no. In this case, there are provisions that will put babies and mothers in danger, as well as those that will do irreparable damage to our state’s healthcare system by pushing us toward a government run single-payer healthcare system.
Among the many concerning measures, this bill will push more people into government provided Minnesota Care. This might sound good on the surface, but we must always look at future ramifications. Minnesota Care reimburses hospitals at rates 40-50% lower than insurance from the private sector. Our rural hospitals and health care providers cannot survive on these payments. They will close and rural Minnesotans like us will be traveling 2-3 hours to visit our doctors and hospitals. Health insurance is very important, but it means basically nothing if we don’t have access to providers.
The bill also removes important guardrails already in Minnesota law which protect women and children seeking abortions. It repeals the Women’s Right to Know Act so providers are no longer required to provide abortion information to women 24 hours before the procedure, and it fails to protect minors by deleting the parental notification requirement. Tragically, the bill also repeals Minnesota’s Born Alive Infants Protection Act which strikes the requirement that medical personnel take reasonable measures to preserve the life and health of any born alive infant. Top this off with removing all funding for Minnesota pregnancy centers, organizations which come alongside to help pregnant women, and this bill becomes incomprehensible. Every abortion makes my heart cry, but for those abortions that do happen we should do all we can to protect these women and girls.
LEGALIZING RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA APPROVED IN HOUSE
I have received emails from constituents on both sides of the legalizing marijuana issue. Personally, I have concerns, especially with making it more available and acceptable to young people because of the damage it does to developing brains. But I have always been very clear that I would consider supporting well-written legislation that at least met these important criteria:
1. A THC intoxication roadside test is available for law enforcement (similar to what we currently have for alcohol) to determine if a person is driving under the influence. We want to make sure we do not increase the number of accidents and deaths on our roads.
2. A liability exemption for businesses where employees are injured or killed on the job (or who cause the injury or death of others) while under the influence of cannabis. Many jobs require the operation of potentially dangerous tools, equipment, conveyor belts, vehicles, etc. that could pose a higher risk of accident when being operated by someone who is under the influence. Since it is sometimes difficult to determine if someone is under the influence or impaired by cannabis, businesses would need this liability protection.
3. Employers have the right to determine a drug policy that best fits their operational, safety, and business culture needs - not a one-size-fits-all state mandated drug policy.
4. Age restrictions for possession and use until at least age 21. Human brain development is not complete until the age of 25 and a growing number of studies find that marijuana use during that development can cause long-term or possibly permanent adverse changes to the brain.
Unfortunately, the bill marijuana bill approved by the Minnesota House this week was not a well written bill and addressed none of the issues I listed. Many members who fully support legalization did not vote for this bill because of the concerns. I also voted no.
CONGRATULATIONS, DR. NUGA!
Riverland Community College President Adenuga Atewologun is retiring on June 30, after serving 10 years. His retirement open house celebration is this Friday evening at the Riverland Austin campus. I would like to honor Dr. Nuga and share with you some thoughts.
Dr. Nuga has been an amazing leader to work with and has been such a strong advocate for Riverland Community College. It has been a pleasure to get to know Nuga over the last number of years since I became state representative for Albert Lea and surrounding areas. Nuga has been a passionate, knowledgeable, persistent, organized, and respectful advocate for Riverland. You couldn’t ask for a better leader.
I’ll never forget my second term working with Nuga to get the Albert Lea Riverland construction project into that year’s bonding bill. We were successful in getting it into the bill and the night came - the last night of session - where the bill came up for a vote. Nuga and I were texting back and forth just a few minutes before midnight, the deadline for the end of session. The bill passed in the House, and then it was sent off to the Senate. We were excited and celebrating by text, but it was unfortunately short lived as the bill died in the Senate. Oh what a letdown that was! Happily, the project was successfully included in the next session’s bonding bill.
I have greatly enjoyed working with Nuga. He has become a true friend throughout these years. I count it a great privilege to have had the opportunity to work with him. Best wishes in your retirement, Nuga!
Have a good weekend,
Peggy