Legislative Update - Caring for Minnesota’s Children
Hello Friend,
The progress continues at the State Capitol, including passing my first bill off the House floor - funding the Lawns to Legumes program. Aside from that, there has been a theme recently on the work we can do to improve the lives of Minnesota’s families, whether it’s helping to afford child care, or ensuring bellies are full.
Here’s an update from St. Paul:
Feeding Minnesotans
It’s hard to address the needs of our students, families, teachers, and schools without first taking care of a basic need for all of our kids - food. In Minnesota, one in six students are trying to learn on an empty stomach. Even with the current free and reduced lunch programs, kids are falling through the cracks, and that’s unacceptable.
Our state constitution guarantees every child the right to a quality public education. As I see it, that also means ensuring our kids are fed, prepared to learn, and not subjected to lunch shaming just because their family may struggle to make ends meet. That's why I co-authored and voted for HF 5, a bill that will ensure every child receives a free breakfast and lunch at school.
Students can’t learn when they’re hungry. They can’t become their best selves if they’re worried about their next meal, or the impact of lunch money on their family budgets. This was the right bill to pass, for all Minnesota families. On top of this legislation, we also passed $5 million for food shelf programs in light of record numbers of visits to food shelves last year.
And of course, much of our food production isn’t possible without pollinators - an essential part of food crops. I spoke to the importance of pollinators, and the ability to help Minnesotans create pollinator-friendly habitats through the Lawns to Legumes program. My bill to invest in the program passed off the House floor last week, and you can watch my floor speech here.
Addressing Minnesota’s Child Care Shortage
Minnesota is facing a dire child care shortage. Additionally, with low reimbursement rates, child care providers are struggling to offer competitive wages and in some cases, to even keep their doors open.
This week, the House passed a pair of bills with robust investments aimed at stabilizing child care and early learning. HF 13 increases the maximum reimbursement rates for all Child Care Assistance Program providers. HF 150, which I co-authored, increases the amount of child care stabilization grants – a key initiative launched during the pandemic – for child care programs. The bill also expands eligibility for early learning scholarships to children age five or younger.
Child care and early learning are both crucial for kids to develop, grow, and learn, but also for family economic security. If a parent can’t afford daycare (if they can even find a daycare spot), they can’t join the workforce. If businesses can’t hire workers, then they can’t grow. I was proud to support these investments to help kids, families, and communities thrive.
Transit Safety
As Vice Chair of the House Transportation Committee, and a regular transit rider, an issue I’m taking on this session is safety on Minnesota’s public transit options - specifically the light rail trains. The Metro Blue and Green lines are a tremendous asset to the Twin Cities and surrounding communities, but a lack of action in recent years to address safety concerns have reached a boiling point.
Everyone deserves a safe and comfortable ride on our transit system, and I want to thank the wide spectrum of stakeholders that are helping to craft this legislation. We’ll talk about this more next week in the House Transportation Committee. You can watch more about our efforts here.
Shakopee at the Capitol
Shout out to the Zitek family, Shakopee Corrections Officers, Foundation of Student Organization, and more for stopping by in St. Paul! These groups do a tremendous job of alerting legislators of important bills and tirelessly advocating for their causes - the best of our work could not be possible without folks like them!
If you’re stopping by the capitol to fight for what you believe in - or just visiting - please feel free to reach out to my office so we can find a time to chat!
Brad Tabke, State Representative | Rep.Brad.Tabke@house.mn.gov
Jared Margolis, Legislative Assistant | Jared.Margolis@house.mn.gov