 Dear neighbors, February flew by. Each new month of this pandemic brings new sad events to the table. I’m sure that all of our hearts are breaking for Ukraine right now. I hope that you’re able to find some comfort in our community. I’ve been frustrated a lot this month. Frustrated at the needless loss of another Black life. Frustrated in the face of legislators who don’t see the urgency to implement policy that will save lives. Frustrated that, no matter how hard we try, partisanship continues to be a barrier to real solutions. But even with my frustration I have hope. Because I frequently hear from my constituents that they want me to continue to advocate for policies that will make the lives of all Minnesotans better. I’ll talk below about much of my work in the last month- the frontline worker bonus proposal, the public safety innovation package, the ethnic studies bill, and more local issues. Thank you so much for subscribing to this newsletter, and please feel free to respond with your thoughts and questions.  Frontline Worker Support Bill Passes HouseI’m excited to announce that my proposal to send $1,500 checks to 667,000 Minnesotan frontline workers passed the House floor. You can watch the debate here. Now, we need the Senate to take action. There’s not one of us that hasn’t been impacted by the work that has been done and continues to be done by our frontline workers. This recognition is long overdue. This bill has been two hard years in the making. I’ve traveled the state, held public meetings, and heard from hundreds of workers that have put their wellbeing on the line during this pandemic. The bill passed through six committees in less than a month, had many dedicated frontline workers drop everything to testify in support, and we’ve answered hundreds of questions from our colleagues. Our workers in Minnesota need to see action from Senate leaders on this bill now. We need to show that our Minnesota legislature puts people over profits. Here’s a highlight video, archiving the bill’s passage through the six committees this year.  CROWN Act passes MN House The CROWN Act (which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural hair) is a small bill that creates big protections for the Black community. The proposal would add a provision to the Minnesota Human Rights Act to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of hair appearance and texture. There have been incidents in Minnesota where an employer has fired and/or taken action against Black workers for not changing their hair or hairstyle. We can’t talk about diversity, racial equity and justice in the workplace without talking about discriminatory policies such as a dress code and appearance code, which also prevents black and brown people from accessing economic opportunities, in addition to its impact on our mental health. We are the only ethnic group who has to have a law to protect something that is already a part of our DNA. On behalf of my daughters, I was honored to vote for the CROWN Act. Here’s a video. Ethnic Studies ClassMore than a third of students in Minnesota schools are students of color, but Minnesota classrooms have not kept pace with the growing diversity of the student population, neither in terms of who is teaching our classes, nor in the curriculum they are taught. All students deserve to see themselves in their curriculum. Ethnic studies is beneficial to all students. I presented my proposal to incorporate ethnic studies into social studies graduation requirements in Minnesota classrooms to the House Education Policy committee this month. Here’s my opening statement.  No-Knock Warrant BanAmir should still be with us. This is a dangerous practice that constantly harms civilians and officers alike. Democrats in the Minnesota House led the effort to scrutinize the dangers of no-knock warrants last year, and we did make meaningful progress by passing into law some of the first-ever restrictions on this practice. It’s clear from MPD’s actions that we need to do more. I’m proud to stand with Rep. Athena Hollins as we work to prevent putting our officers and civilians in dangerous situations. Here’s a press conference on the bill, and here’s the bill’s first hearing in the Public Safety committee.  Keeping Nurses at the Bedside ActWe’re in a nurse staffing crisis. Actually - we’ve BEEN in a nurse staffing crisis. There are more registered nurses in the state than ever, yet we fail to adequately staff our hospitals. We need to put patient care and hospital workers above hospital profits. HF 3242 is a bill to increase nurse retention. It sets a maximum limit of how many patients one nurse can safely care for, launches a student loan forgiveness program for new studying nurses, and supports nurses’ mental health. Nearly 1 in 5 nurses will leave the profession in the next five years. We have an added urgency to address this constant problem now. This is a comprehensive solution that nurses are asking for, and I’m proud to co-author the bill. You can watch the hearing here.  Bring it Home, MNI was so happy to meet with this group of constituents this week who support Beacon’s Bring it Home, MN initiative. We need to make sure that everyone has access to housing, period. Today, 75% of people who qualify for rent vouchers don’t actually get one. Bring it Home, Minnesota closes the gap in funding so every family gets the rent support they deserve. Town Hall RecapWe held a virtual town hall earlier this month, which had incredible turnout. Thank you so much to those of you who attended and shared your thoughts and questions. For those who missed it but want to see it, here it is. We’ll have another one sometime soon!  Support our Cooper GirlsIt was heartbreaking to see our Cooper girls’ basketball team have to bear the weight of racist taunts at their game against New Prague. I was glad to see statements from Robbinsdale Area Schools and St. Louis Park, supporting and standing with our student athletes. Here’s my statement on the issue. Our community’s still healing from this. “Can’t hear the hate, only our swish.”  Local Work: Plymouth Bonding BillsI’ve signed on to bills carried by my colleague Rep. Ginny Klevorn for our local area, including investments into road improvement and investment into local fire station construction. Keep in TouchThank you for your attention to this *long*, hopefully informative email. As always, please reach out to me at rep.cedrick.frazier@house.mn with any questions or concerns about legislative issues in the Minnesota House, I look forward to hearing from you! In Service, Cedrick Frazier
State Representative, District 45A
Minnesota House of Representatives  |