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Neighbors,
Hello again! I hope you’re as excited about the weather warming up as I am. Here’s a quick update on what I’ve been working on. I’m especially excited about presenting my first bill in a committee.
Voting Rights
On Wednesday, I presented my bill (HF 94) on voting rights to the Government Operations committee. The Voting Rights Act was established to ensure historically marginalized communities don't have legal barriers at the local level to vote. This bill will ensure we uphold that right. A disability and/or language barrier shouldn't make anyone’s vote count any less.
Neng Xiong, an SGU veteran, testified on behalf of this bill. He shared his story on the needs of Hmong veterans who almost always face barriers to voting. As veterans who risked their lives to save our American brothers during the Vietnam War, who dedicated their lives to the US before touching American soil, yet experience difficulty to fully serve as citizens of the US is a disservice to the 600 plus SGU veterans in Minnesota. I’m thankful for the support of Secretary of State Steve Simon and am optimistic that this bill will pass. You can read more about it here.
Another bill that I support was discussed in committee hearings this week. This bill would make a subtle change to current election registration processes. Currently, if an individual updates or applies for a drivers’ license, they can “opt-in” to be registered to vote. This bill would change this process to have an “opt-out” method instead. This would likely increase participation, and decrease registration lines on Election Day. Similar bills have had bipartisan support in the past, and I expect this one will as well.
Education
The number of students of color in Minnesota continues to increase, and there is a consistent shortage of teachers of color and Indigenous teachers. Only 4.2 percent of all teachers in Minnesota are teachers of color. This is a big contributor to achievement and opportunity gaps. Our teachers should reflect the diversity of our state. This is why I support a bill to provide scholarships to qualified teachers of color with financial needs, to help achieve that goal.
Supporting Minnesota Families
All Minnesotans deserve the opportunity to be successful, but too many have to choose between work and taking care of a new baby or loved one. This was especially clear at the Capitol last week – when school closures caused many legislators to stay home or to bring their children to work. On Wednesday the first hearings were held for the Paid Family & Medical Leave Bill. This bill would allow eligible workers to have up to 12 weeks of paid leave from work in order to provide support to their family. The program itself would be modeled after the existing unemployment program.
Thank you to everyone who came to our town hall on Saturday. It was great hearing from all of you. I look forward to working together this session!
I hope you had a great weekend. You can reach me if you need anything by phone at 651-296-3709 and email at rep.samantha.vang@house.mn. You can also stop by my office in room 527 of the State Office Building.
Sincerely,
Samantha Vang
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