Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We are in a new phase of the legislative process - working 12-14 hour days on the floor to pass the omnibus committee bills so we can move them on to the Senate. I will spare you my rant about how much I hate omnibus bills (see last week's newsletter!), but suffice it to say my views on this issue have only be reinforced this week!
Although the debates are long, they are very interesting. I am well-versed with the issues that were heard in my three committees, but this gives me the opportunity to learn about the many issues that had been dealt with by others. See a brief recap for details below.
The best part, as always, was taking time to step off the floor and meet with constituents! This part of the process offers little time for constituent meetings but that is always the highlight of my days! Thanks for coming and sharing your views with me!
Omnibus Jobs & Economic Development Bill
I serve on this committee, so I offered two amendments on the floor to address issues I had been working on all session. The first amendment would have allowed 16 and 17 year-olds to work in limited capacity on construction sites. Federal law already permits this and all of our surrounding states (WI, IA, ND, SD) already permit this. My amendment would follow the federal OSHA and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) safety requirements for this age group. In addition, my amendment also required a 10-hour OSHA safety course that would enable participating students to leave the program with a well-respected safety credential they could use to help gain an apprenticeship or other employment. We have a worker shortage in Minnesota and there are many public and private-sector efforts underway to help expose kids to career opportunities to the trades. Giving 16 and 17-year-olds their first work experience in the trades, rather than retail or food service, will help them decide if these careers might be a good option for them.
After a good discussion on this amendment, I decided to withdraw it to preserve the option of continuing to work on it with the Committee Chair.
My second amendment restored "intent" to the language on wage theft. Wage theft is a problem and should be prosecuted. Current law requires that an employer must have intended to defraud an employee of wages to ensure that employers are not penalized for honest mistakes. Well-meaning employers should not be punished for mistakes made by either their employees or their own reporting errors. Tracking wages on construction sites is much more complicated than tracking wages for a desk job. Employees make different wages throughout the day, depending on the site they are working on, the machine they are using, or the type of work they are performing - all of which can change several times during a given day. We want to be able to prosecute the bad actors without harming employers or employees who simply make mistakes on their timecards.
My second amendment was voted down by the DFL majority. I am hoping the Senate will be able to restore current law that requires intent in the Conference Committee.
Rep. Robbins presenting her amendments to the Jobs & Economic Development bill
Omnibus HHS Bill
On Thursday, House Democrats passed their Health and Human Services Finance bill (HF2414) which increases health care costs, makes harmful cuts to nursing homes that provide care to aging Minnesotans, and fails to prevent rampant fraud in Minnesota's childcare and other public programs.
The bill includes an extension of the "sick tax" that will add more than $2.5 billion to the cost of Minnesotans' health care over the next four years. It also made changes to nursing home reimbursement rates that result in $68 million in cuts to Minnesota nursing facilities.
Democrats refused to accept many common-sense amendments offered by Republicans to lower the costs of health care and require accountability in the childcare program. There were numerous problems with this bill and I did not support final passage.
At more than 1100 pages, HF2414 is believed to be the largest bill in state history.
Omnibus Tax Bill
Despite a billion dollar surplus, House Democrats have proposed raising $12 billion across all their budget bills. The tax bill raised $3 billion in taxes while making $600 million in smaller tax cuts -- not a good deal for Minnesota taxpayers. This bill does have some good elements - tax conformity (but the savings rare spent rather than returned to taxpayers), full section 179 conformity (allows immediate depreciation of capital equipment), and increasing the social security deduction (although I supported completely eliminating the tax on social security).
I hope the tax bill will come back from negotiations with the Senate with the good provisions intact - I would like to see some of these good tax reform proposals enacted without increasing taxes and fees on Minnesota families.
Things I Learned
Saturday is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, hosted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This event happens twice per year to help people safely dispose of unused medications and help prevent misuse of them. Click here to find a disposal location near you.
Photos from the Week
Quote in the retiring room off the House Floor
Rep. Robbins and Rep. Peggy Scott catch some fresh air during a 14-hour marathon debate this week
Rep. Robbins with Administrations, teachers, parents and students from ISD 728 Elk River/Rogers
Rep. Robbins with a group from the Minnesota State Cattlemen's Association at the Capitol this week
Please Contact Me
Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any legislation put before the House or any other matters to which I can be of assistance. You can set up a time to visit me at the Capitol by calling me at 651-296-7806 or by email at rep.kristin.robbins@house.mn. My office is located on the second floor of the State Office Building in room 225.
I hope you all have a fun weekend!
Kristin
Like and follow my Facebook Page for updates throughout the week: Facebook.com/RepKristinRobbins