NEWS RELEASE
Rep. Jeff Brand
Minnesota House of Representatives
District 18A – 651-296-8634– rep.jeff.brand@house.mn.gov
501 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Marlee Schlegel
651-296-9873 or marlee.schlegel@house.mn.gov
March 2, 2023
Rep. Jeff Brand votes to support funding for shelter providers, ratification of state employee bargaining agreements
SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Tonight, the Minnesota House voted to pass legislation to provide resources that will help address Minnesota’s unsheltered homelessness crisis. HF444 known as the Pathway Home Act, significantly increases funding to critical state programs that support shelter providers across Minnesota in their direct response and service to Minnesotans who are currently unsheltered.
The House also voted to pass HF800, which ratifies contracts agreed to by the Minnesota Government Engineers Council and Minnesota State College Faculty which include pay raises, step increases, additional paid holidays, and recruiting and referral incentives. It also approves multiple memorandums of understanding from contracts approved in previous years, including MAPE and AFSCME contracts, with provisions to improve state employee retention.
Rep. Jeff Brand (DFL – Saint Peter) is a co-author on HF 444 and voted to support both pieces of legislation.
“Everyone deserves a safe place to sleep at night, and right now in Minnesota, we are failing to ensure that safety for all citizens. Passing this bill is a step in the right direction, and I am proud to be a co-author and an enthusiastic supporter.
DFLers are in strong support of employees’ right to collectively bargain, and state employees deserve that right just the same. I was happy to vote to ratify these agreements.”
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