Legislative Update - New Bills for 2021

Dear Granite City Neighbors, 

It was a proud and historic week for our nation as we witnessed the peaceful transition of power and inaugurated President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Democracy prevailed! I look forward to working with the Biden Administration to move our community, Minnesota, and our country forward - out of this pandemic, and to building back better.

Democracy for the People

Minnesotans did an amazing job of leading the nation in voter turnout - as we consistently do - and that’s because we know the value of a vote. To reflect that, the House DFL introduced the Democracy for the People Act, a package of legislation that will strengthen and protect our free and fair elections. With a pandemic, rampant disinformation, and many folks voting in an unfamiliar way last year, we passed an important test - but more needs to be done to strengthen our elections system. 

The Democracy for the People Act will ensure state and local elections officials can access the critical federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funds they need for election security and infrastructure, establish ballot drop box and return sites, and close dark money loopholes. You can read more about the Democracy for the People Act here.

COVID-19 Business Relief

As part of the Minnesota Legislature’s bipartisan COVID-19 assistance package I helped pass in December, the Minnesota Department of Revenue recently issued $67.3 million in COVID-19 Business Relief Payments to 3,981 restaurants, bars, gyms, and similar businesses across the state. 

If you own or know of an eligible business that has not received a payment, contact the Department of Revenue through the online inquiry process. The inquiry process will be open until Friday, February 5, when an additional round of payments will be made for businesses that qualify.  

House DFL Legislative Priorities

Last week, I joined House DFL leadership in rolling out our first bills of the legislative session. Right out of the gate, we wanted to make it clear that our priorities this year are going to focus on ensuring Minnesotans make it through this pandemic and have the resources to quickly bounce back. As we’ve seen since last March, there is no singular fix-all solution for the struggles that Minnesotans are facing. We need to invest in the areas of worker protections and economic security to help our businesses recover, we’re prioritizing education and child care to get young Minnesotans on the right track, and we need to double down on human services and affordable health care to assist those hit hardest by this virus.

This is just a snapshot of what I’ll be working on this year, but this is where our caucus will be fighting the hardest for Minnesotans. In addition to these issues, I look forward to advocating for the unique needs and struggles of St. Cloud and the surrounding communities.

Legislative Process Reform

This session, I’m honored to serve as Vice Chair of the House Subcommittee on Legislative Process Reform, which just held our first hearing on reviewing the Executive Orders issued by Governor Walz during the Peacetime Emergency. While I believe Governor Walz has acted in good faith for the people of Minnesota, it’s important that we ensure Minnesota is operating in the best way possible during this pandemic. 

I’m thankful to Governor Walz for using his authority to issue executive orders that save lives. Now that we’re in regular session, we can work together to set concrete policy goals that result in a safe and orderly end to this emergency and put Minnesotans first.

I look forward to continuing this important discussion this session, and you can watch our first hearing on the House Public Info Youtube page. 

Stay Connected

With the first committee hearings completed, the Minnesota Legislature is in full swing. If you have any questions or comments for me, please feel free to email me at rep.dan.wolgamott@house.mn, or give me a call at (651) 296-6612. You can also follow along with my work on my member page, “like” my official facebook page, and subscribe to and share these legislative updates. I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Rep. Dan Wolgamott