Neighbors, The second committee deadline has arrived and the list of final bills to be considered this legislative session continues to shrink. The week was busy enough, but an added bit of drama occurred when I had to evacuate my apartment in the middle of the night for a fire in a nearby building. Thanks to firefighters for putting out the fire and keeping us safe. The interruption didn’t stop me from presenting my children’s museums funding bill in Capital Investment first thing Tuesday morning. I was invited to speak at the MSU Mental Health is Health: the 2022 Health and Biomedical Sciences Summit. I shared stories about my time working at DHS and the challenges around untreated mental health. We also discussed a 2021 bill allowing minor students to receive mental health treatment, without parental consent as their parents didn’t believe in mental health or thought it was too shameful to seek help. Both were examples to show the need to expand awareness of how mental health is health. I appreciate the University hosting the event and admire the work they do to expand awareness and train tomorrow’s mental health professionals. I also met with constituents during the AFSCME day on the hill to hear their priorities to protect workers. On Thursday, a bill I authored was passed unanimously off the House floor. It adds one town board member to the membership on an advisory committee established for the Local Road Improvement Program. Currently, the advisory committee consists of five county and city representatives. The advisory committee provides recommendations to the Minnesota Department of Transportation on project selection under the program. You can watch floor discussion on the House of Representatives YouTube page.  Advocating for Workers This week we passed several pro-worker bills on the House floor. I was co-author of the legislation ratifying the 2020-21 public employee labor contracts. Our state workers are the glue holding Minnesota together. These contracts don’t keep up with inflation, but they are a good start. I will strongly advocate for future contracts. Workers' success and financial stability are important to the future of our state. The House also approved legislation to protect and empower Minnesota’s warehouse workers and to address practices that have led to high injury rates at Amazon facilities. No one should be concerned about getting injured while at their workplace. Lastly, legislation was approved to require Minnesota employers to provide workers Earned Sick and Safe Time. The legislation would ensure, at a minimum, one hour of paid time for every 30 hours worked, up to at least 48 hours per year and can be used to attend to physical and mental health needs – including illness, injury, or a doctor’s appointment – for workers and their family members. This legislation is needed because all workers should be able to take a day off if they are hurt, or sick or a loved one is hurt or sick. One hour for 30 hours of work is not enough, but it is something that will allow workers to earn time to take care of themselves or a family member. Upwards of 900,000 Minnesota workers, including two-thirds of workers in the lowest wage positions, lack access to paid time off. You can watch my comments on the House floor here.  Survey Our second committee deadline is today but you can still weigh in on the issues we are considering this session. Please take a moment to complete my legislative survey. Thank you. COVID-19 Update This week, the FDA authorized a second booster shot for Americans over 50 and for those 12 years and older who are immunocompromised. Following the FDA’s announcement, the CDC expanded eligibility for an additional booster dose for certain higher risk individuals. Second boosters for all Americans will be evaluated. You can read more from the U of M Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) here. Considering dropping COVID-19 numbers and fewer positive tests and serious illnesses, Minnesota is changing its testing strategy, gradually moving away from saliva tests toward rapid at-home tests. Minnesota households are now eligible to receive two test kits (for a total of four tests) per home through the mail at mn.gov/covid19. Minnesota has secured 500,000 test kits (for a total of 1 million at-home tests) and the program will be available until all the test kits are ordered. You can also order free rapid at-home tests from the federal government at CovidTests.gov. Getting a test is still recommended if you have symptoms, have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, after traveling, or if you’ve attended a high-risk event.  _________ Stay connected with the Legislature The Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services offers nonpartisan recaps of high-profile bills, committee hearings, and floor sessions with their Session Daily publication. Subscribe to receive these here. To track bills of interest through the legislative process, I encourage you to utilize the MyBills feature on the Minnesota House of Representatives’ website here. I welcome your questions and comments anytime. You can send an email to rep.luke.frederick@house.mn or can call my legislative assistant, Blake Wilcox, at 651-296-8803. Also, please visit and “like” my Facebook page for more Capitol and community updates. Thank you for the privilege of representing you in the legislature. Sincerely, Luke Frederick State Representative |