Dear Neighbors,
This is “First Deadline” week and all bills have to clear their relevant committee stops in either the House or the Senate by the end of the day on Friday or it becomes significantly more difficult for them to move forward this session. I have about a half dozen bills being heard in various committees this week, you can find the full calendar for the week and when my bills are scheduled for here. Here is what I’ll be working on this week:
- HF4164 will be heard in the Transportation Committee on Tuesday. This bill is the result of an independent expert review and would reorganize the funding of Driver and Vehicle Services to provide the funding needed to keep local driver’s license bureaus financially viable. One of my goals is to enable Bloomington to open a new local DVS office without burdening city property taxpayers. I’ve spent a lot of time over the last few years leveraging my career experience in Information Technology to ensure the success of the new MNDrive DVS system that successfully replaced MNLARS.
- HF35 will be heard in the Human Services Committee on Wednesday morning. This bill will provide grants for small cities and counties to improve the accessibility of their websites for people with disabilities. People with visual or tactile disabilities often find it difficult to obtain the information they need from their local governments when websites are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. I received an award from the Minnesota Council on Disabilities, last year, for my efforts to improve both digital and mobility accessibility for people with disabilities. Last year, I successfully advocated to provide dedicated funding for Metro Mobility to improve paratransit services in the Twin Cities.
- As a co-author of HF3100, I am also advocating strongly for increased pay for personal care attendants and other direct care employees to draw more people into this line of work. Too many people with disabilities are going without the care they need because of a severe shortage of workers.
- HF58 will be heard in the Health committee on Wednesday afternoon. This bill would prevent Health Plans from kicking you off a drug that’s working for you, mid-year; and it would also require Drug Manufacturers to disclose the high prices of their drugs to the public. I’m working on this bill with the Minnesota Medical Association. I’ve become the House expert on drug industry reform and you will see additional legislation coming from me on this front over the next few years.
- HF4141 and HF4271 will be heard in the Local Government Committee on Wednesday morning. These are small bills carved out of my comprehensive zoning reform bill, the Legalizing Affordable Housing Act, which would outlaw exclusionary zoning practices and remove institutional barriers to the construction of more affordable housing. These two bills would legalize modular apartment buildings and standardize the cost basis used for assessing building fees to remove any incentive a city might have to pad building fees by requiring expensive building materials. You may have seen the Strib Commentary supporting my larger bill on Saturday.
- I’m also a co-author of Mike Howard’s Bring it Home, Minnesota rent support program and the ambitious housing finance provisions in HF2880, sponsored by the League of Minnesota Cities, and HF3244, the housing bonding bill. My bills compliment these bills by ensuring that cities will allow the housing that is funded by the finance bills to be built.
Most of these bills are the result of research and stakeholder outreach that have been three years in the making, and most of these initiatives will continue to bear fruit in the years to come. I’ll keep you posted on the progress of these bills as they advance.
Keep in Touch
Don’t hesitate to reach out if I can provide any assistance. Please follow me on my Facebook page for further updates and invite your friends and family to do so as well.
Thanks for the honor of representing you at the Capitol.
Sincerely,
Steve Elkins
Representative, District 49B
Minnesota House of Representatives