Dear Neighbors,
This week we are entering into the 1st Legislative deadline at the Capitol. At the end of the week, if a bill has not been heard in the Minnesota House or Senate it becomes significantly more difficult for them to move forward this session. We are beginning to start to narrow down what legislation will make it as final law in the next 8 weeks.
Bill Highlight from the Edina Community
Over the Summer I worked with a constituent on an important piece of legislation that would prohibit companies from paying sexual assault settlements as severance which reduces the amount a victim receives dramatically due to it being taxed as wages.
On Tuesday, we had a hearing and the legislation passed unanimously out of the MN House Labor Committee, and is now on to Judiciary! A small but important step in limiting the overreach of non-disclosure agreements and protecting victims rights - ensuring workplaces are safe for everyone. A copy of the bill can be found here, and you can watch my presentation on the bill here.
Standing with Ukraine
The past few weeks have been full of harrowing images from Ukraine as Russia continues their violent invasion. In what has been a conflict of ever-growing atrocities, my heart goes out to the Ukrainian people, including the 17,000 Ukrainian-Americans who call Minnesota home.
In a broadly bipartisan move, legislators representing the four main caucuses in the Minnesota Legislature introduced a bill to divest Minnesota’s state pension fund from Russia and codify Governor Walz’s Executive Order barring the state from contracting with Russian companies.
Prior to the invasion of Ukraine, the estimated worth of Minnesota's state pension fund investments in Russia was approximately $53 million. The legislation will also sanction Belarus for its complicity in the Russian invasion.
Passing this bill is the right thing to do, and in joining numerous other democracies in a similar action, Minnesota is standing with Ukraine and adding to the international pressure that will hopefully soon lead to peace.
You can read more about this legislation here.
Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund
There has been a lot of debate at the Capitol around how best to refill the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. The House DFL’s UI Trust Fund proposal would prevent a 16% tax increase on Minnesota employers, strengthen the Unemployment Insurance program for everyone, and expand eligibility to hourly school workers like bus drivers and cafeteria staff. The main difference between our proposal and the Senate Republican proposal is that ours prioritizes workers, while theirs prioritizes large corporations. For instance under the Senate proposal, Walmart would get a $7,890,500 tax cut. These are funds that should go to Minnesotans, not an immensely profitable global corporation.
Hometown Heroes Assistance
The House passed a bill to update the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program. Our firefighters face alarmingly high incidences of cancer, cardiac issues, and emotional trauma. The new program, which lawmakers enacted last year, provides firefighters access to education, prevention, and care to address cardiac conditions, emotional trauma or cancer diagnoses. The Hometown Heroes Assistance Program is the most comprehensive in the nation of its kind, and provides firefighters with free access to emotional trauma resources, up-to-$20,000 from critical illness insurance policies, and ongoing health and wellness training.
Prior to the program’s enactment, Minnesota was ranked 45th out of 50 states when it comes to investing in the fire service. I was proud to support this initiative for the heroes in our communities who make incredible sacrifices to keep us safe.
Stay in Touch
Please continue to contact me anytime at rep.heather.edelson@house.mn or 651-296-4363 with your input or questions. You’re also welcome to follow me or ‘like’ my official Facebook page for additional updates.
Thank you for the honor of representing our Edina residents and families in the Minnesota House!
Sincerely,
Heather Edelson
State Representative