Dear Neighbors,
The first month of session has passed in a bit of blur as we are striving to be historically productive. For too long gridlock has dominated politics at the Capitol, so we are working hard to make up for lost time.
My Bills Moving Forward
I had six bills move through the committee process last week. Here are a couple in particular:
- In the Health Finance and Policy Committee three of my healthcare pricing transparency bills were heard, including one that would reveal the prices of prescription drugs and another that would enable you to shop for medical and dental services based upon both price and quality using a shopping tool like this one from Turquoise Health. The first bill would also prevent your health plan from kicking you off of a drug that’s working for you in the middle of the year. Our current health system puts the consumer at a significant disadvantage due to the lack of price clarity. It is my hope that these bills will tip the scales in our favor. You can learn more about the medical and dental transparency bill here. Our Senator, Dr. Alice Mann, is the Senate author on two of these bills.
- The Labor and Industry Committee passed my bill to limit non-compete clauses in Minnesota. Too often companies use non-compete clauses to reduce a worker’s options so they don’t have to pay that worker their true value. This is another case where the scales are tipped in favor of large corporations as opposed to the average worker. Learn more about this important bill here. Dr. Mann is the Senate author for this bill, as well.
Honest Budgeting
One of my campaign promises was to pass a bill to promote honest budgeting by requiring that inflation be included in budget forecasts on both the revenue and costs sides of the ledger. For the past 20 years, the state budget forecasts have presented a “rosy scenario” wherein projected inflation is only counted on the revenue side. (The true budget surplus is about $1.5 billion smaller than what’s been publicized.) I am one of the lead authors on HF35, which will fix this problem. The bill has passed the House and is awaiting final passage in the Senate.
Driver’s Licenses for All
Last Monday the House passed our ‘Driver’s Licenses for All Bill’ which would allow all Minnesota residents to obtain a license regardless of immigration status. This is an important bill which will make our roads safer while restoring dignity and a critical privilege to our immigrant communities.
It is estimated that there are about 80,000 undocumented workers in Minnesota right now. We heard supportive testimony from the business community that industries including agriculture, food processing, food service and hospitality would collapse without these workers. We heard supportive testimony from law enforcement that its passage would lead to safer drivers (who would have to pass the regular driver’s license exam to obtain their licenses), fewer uninsured motorists (you have to have a driver's license to obtain auto insurance), fewer hit-and-run accidents involving unlicensed drivers, and more reliable law enforcement identification of suspects.
Thank you to the community members who have been working tirelessly to change this law for the last 20 years since it was first implemented. You can watch the exciting moments after it passed here.
Coding at the Capitol
January 19th was “Coding at the Capitol” day, where students from around the state come to present their computer science projects. Among them was this contingent of 8th grade students from Olson Middle School in Bloomington, led by their computer science teacher, Ashly Tritch. Natalie Johnson, Scarlett Underhill, Morgan Keith, and Ella Holmes showed me how they programmed their robot to follow a track by using bar-coded instruction cubes. They’ve been studying computer science since 5th grade!
I am a co-author on HF759, which would fund the development of a formal computer science curriculum so more school districts could offer classes like those offered at Olson.
Minnesota currently ranks LAST in the nation for access to computer high school courses among all 50 states.
- Only 21% of MN public high schools offer even 1 computer science course
- Computing occupations are the #1 source of new wages in America — that’s 16% of all new wages
- Computer science accounts for the majority of new STEM jobs
- In Minnesota the average median tech wage is $94, 715 – this is 106% higher than the median state wage
I spent the last 25 years of my “day job” career in information technology and I can attest to the fact that these jobs are both challenging and well paid!
Fighting Forever Chemicals
You may have heard about polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which are very toxic chemicals prevalent in groundwater. PFAS chemicals are linked to immune system disorders, lower birth weights, infertility, lower IQ in children, thyroid issues, and deadly cancers. If you haven’t, you can learn about them here. We recently announced several bills to restrict the use of these chemicals and to clean them from our environment and water. Watch the emotional press conference on this issue here.
Governor Bill Signings
Just as the House has been hard at work passing bills, the Governor has signed them just as promptly. Last week he signed the CROWN Act, which will prevent discrimination based on natural hair or texture, and the PRO Act which guarantees abortion rights. So many have worked so hard since Roe v. Wade was overturned to protect individual freedom to choose in Minnesota. Thank you to everyone who made this historic week happen.
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 50B
Minnesota House of Representatives