Saint Paul, Minn. — Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives finished approving a new two-year state budget and adjourned sine die. The Minnesota House, controlled by Democrats, and the Minnesota Senate, controlled by Republicans, convened for a special session on June 14th to finalize a bipartisan budget agreement and avoid a state government shutdown on July 1st. Representative Samantha Vang (DFL - Brooklyn Center) released the following statement to commemorate the the end of this extraordinary session:
“This has been a very difficult year for our community. I have worked hard trying to bring the reforms and aid necessary to ensure we can get back onto our feet and thrive into the future,” said Rep. Vang. “Even though we didn’t achieve everything we needed in these final agreements, I am confident that the legislation we got through the Senate Republicans will make our community, and the entire state, stronger and more stable in the years to come.”
The House DFL secured extensive investments in families, workers, students, and small businesses who’ve been hit hardest by the pandemic, including:
- A historic increase in funding for public schools and preservation of all day pre-K for 4,000 preschoolers
- Financial support for frontline workers who sacrificed their health to keep all of us safe during the pandemic
- Investments in access to affordable child care for families and increased funding for providers
- A plan to prevent an eviction crisis and expand access to affordable housing
- Targeted tax cuts for workers and small businesses harmed by the pandemic
- Investments to improve public health and reduce racial disparities in health care
- State aid for small businesses in the Lake, Midway, and West Broadway corridors damaged during last year’s civil unrest
- Better access to reliable public transit and investments in roads, bridges, and rail
- Substantial reforms to sexual assault laws to bring justice to victims
- Measures to reform policing and increase accountability
- Investments in families who are at risk of or are experiencing homelessness
- Delivering an overdue pay raise for our PCAs and additional support for home and community-based services to help people live independently
- Substantial investments to reduce racial disparities and improve equity
- Protection for vulnerable turtle species from commercial harvesting
- Funding for the Market Bucks program to provide healthy and affordable farmers’ market produce to SNAP/EBT users
As a result of a bipartisan deal to end Governor Walz’s emergency powers on July 1, the Legislature will not convene for a July special session or continue meeting monthly as it has done since the beginning of the pandemic.
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