Rep. Olson: the Capitol to the Community – July 1, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

The special session to finish a new two-year state budget is now complete. Students, workers, families, and small businesses faced remarkable challenges over the last year, and looked to the State Capitol for solutions to move beyond the pandemic. Lawmakers worked together to fund the things Minnesotans care about and build the brighter future all Minnesotans deserve.

The state budget also included some important work for our local community. The Jobs & Labor Bill included a measure I authored to help the Verso paper mill resume operations after its recent sale, and with it, once again make job opportunities available. Lawmakers also approved a measure to correct an issue of inadvertent overpayments the Department of Human Services made to counties – including St. Louis County – and some tribal governments in 2019 substance abuse treatment. This problem was due to no fault of the counties or tribes, and since then, safeguards have been put in place to prevent this from occurring in the future. Still, it’s important for the state of Minnesota to make county and tribal governments whole so they can continue delivering critical public services, including public health support.

Here are some of the other highlights from the final days of the special session.

Investing in the Health and Wellbeing of Minnesotans

Our Health and Human Services budget contained a transformational package of investments in the health, wellbeing, and economic security of Minnesotans. All Minnesotans deserve access to quality, affordable health care and the ability to experience a healthy future and a strong quality of life. After an unprecedented reliance on public health during COVID-19, lawmakers invested in strengthening local public health across the state. Our HHS budget also made a great deal of progress in closing health inequities, including steps to expand coverage for pregnant women, provide new coverage for dental services, enhance services for children with asthma, and increase diversity within our mental health workforce. Through pay increases for Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) and other improvements to home and community-based services, people with disabilities will be able to live with more independence. Finally, the bill helps low-income families experience economic security with new ongoing increases in the Minnesota Family Investment (MFIP) program.

Fairness, Justice, and Accountability

In my last update, I mentioned our work to deliver a robust package of police accountability reforms following the senseless deaths of George Floyd and Daunte Wright. Following work to reach a compromise, the results of our Public Safety budget were decidedly mixed. House DFLers were able to secure several important reforms including new regulations on no-knock warrants, an early warning system at the POST Board to keep bad officers off the streets, and Travis’s Law, which will help ensure trained crisis teams can respond to calls for mental health assistance rather than police officers. The budget compromise decriminalizes poverty with significant reforms to Minnesota’s fines and fees structure, requiring personal circumstances to be considered when fines are issued. Community organizations will also receive additional funding to prevent violence and perform youth outreach.

Over the past two years, sexual assault survivors led the way in recommending overdue updates to our state criminal sexual conduct law. After a workgroup consisting of survivors, prosecutors, advocates, and law enforcement, our bipartisan budget agreement included several key reforms to give prosecutors tools to better deliver justice. The budget also creates the Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives and the Missing and Murdered African American Women Task Force, both of which will make more resources available to prevent the senseless deaths of women and girls.

Unfortunately, due to Senate Republican opposition, several other solutions didn’t make it into the final compromise bill, including a ban on most pretextual traffic stops, for minor violations like an air freshener or expired tabs – like the one that ultimately led to the death of Daunte Wright. A status quo system where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color continue to have experiences with law enforcement where their human rights and dignity aren’t recognized is unacceptable. House DFLers will continue pushing for meaningful reforms to keep people safe.

Helping Businesses, Workers, and Families Move Beyond COVID-19

One of the final items we completed during the special session was a compromise Taxes bill. During the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses and workers experienced sudden hardship due to no fault of their own. Our bipartisan Taxes bill mirrors federal law and makes proceeds businesses received under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and proceeds workers received under additional pandemic Unemployment Insurance benefits exempt from state taxes. COVID-19 also highlighted how many Minnesotans are at risk of housing insecurity. The Taxes bill creates a new Local Homeless Prevention Aid program, giving counties additional resources to keep families in their homes.

More information about our state budget is available from the House Public Information Services office and its nonpartisan Session Daily digital publication. As always, I invite you to reach out to me with your input, ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance. It’s an honor to represent you.

Sincerely,

Liz Olson
State Representative