A legislative update is available in Hmong here.
Neighbors,
Interrupting your Sunday morning with a quick update from the Capitol - we finally finished debating and voting on the major components of our budget this week. Here's an overview.
Public Safety
We passed a public safety budget to allow for gun safety, cash bail reform, cannabis reform, and pathways beyond incarceration. This is the first step toward a public safety approach centered in not just accountability and punishment, but prevention and pathways to rehabilitation.
There are gun safety bills included in this budget and I am glad to hear from people on both sides of the debate. As we move forward, I will keep all of your comments in mind. Gun-related issues are a highly contentious topic, and please be assured that I will treat each decision with scrutiny. No matter where we are on the debate, your opinion will be heard and honored.
Other states are enacting gun violence prevention legislation. Minnesotans are asking us to do the same. Criminal background checks and extreme risk protection orders are part of this public safety bill
Minnesota has the fifth-highest probation rate in the nation along with significant racial and regional disparities. The public safety budget addresses this through a five-year cap on terms (except for the most serious offenses), requests the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission to establish probation guidelines, and has grants for alternatives to incarceration to divert nonviolent drug offenders to treatment.
Housing
All Minnesotans deserve access to safe and affordable housing. A place to call home is essential for students to focus and succeed in school, for parents to maintain reliable employment, and working families to be economically secure. House DFLers are committed to providing affordable, safe housing.
The Housing components of the Minnesota House DFL budget increase investments to address homelessness, build more workforce housing, and provide financial empowerment and training to help low-income renters achieve homeownership.
Higher Education
We passed a higher education budget to freeze tuition at all of Minnesota's universities. All Minnesotans deserve the opportunity to get a quality higher education, and the training needed to get a good-paying job. Investing in higher education means investing in Minnesotans and the future of our state.
We passed an elections budget which will help sure that every voice is heard in elections. The bill includes measures to make it easier to vote, appropriates the full $6.6 million in Federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funding to secure Minnesota’s elections, includes automatic voter registration, free public transportation on election day, and measures to ensure a full and complete Census.
It also includes my bill to uphold the Voting Rights Act, which would lift a ban on assisting voters at polling places. Under current state law, no one can help more than three people fill out their ballots. The restriction has a disproportionate impact on communities with disabilities and English proficiency challenges. Language barriers don’t stop at the ballot box. If we are going to have a truly representative democracy, we need to make sure all eligible voters can cast their ballots. Under current law, I can’t even bring my own parents and grandparents to vote.
AAPI Month
Minnesota’s first and only Asian Pacific Caucus join AAPI people across the country this month in celebrating the achievements and opportunities we have been afforded because of the courage and sacrifices of our ancestors. We honor the men and women who laid the tracks to build this country, who sacrificed their lives for the values of this country, and who broke down immeasurable barriers, so that we could thrive today. We renew our resolve to address inequalities and challenges facing AAPI people, so that all Minnesotans can be afforded equal opportunities into the future.
We celebrate the fact that, on the eve of AAPI month, the Minnesota House passed a measure to finally establish a day to honor the sacrifices America’s Secret War veterans and their families made, fighting alongside American soldiers for the values this great nation stands for. So proud to be working with powerful colleagues to create a state holiday recognizing Hmong veterans who served in the U.S. Vietnam War.
We invite you to share your favorite AAPI role model or moment to commemorate Asian American heritage month.
Thanks for reading, and thank you for the honor of serving you! Please reach out with questions, comments or suggestions any time.
Sincerely,
Samantha Vang
State Representative - 40B
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