Legislative Update: Real Public Safety, Worker Support, TDOV

Dear neighbors,

Thank you for your continued communication with my office. I had someone recently ask me what my ideas are on this year’s surplus. If you didn’t already hear, Minnesota is economically thriving with a $9.2 billion budget surplus, but it’s not a recovery that’s being experienced by all Minnesotans. I think this is an incredible opportunity to support our students and teachers and invest in our public schools. I would also like to see significant investment in infrastructure within our district, as well as a push for affordable housing this year. I’ll be doing the most I can to get surplus dollars to communities that face chronic underinvestment.

Continuing the Work for Real Public Safety

Transparent, high-quality public safety is important.

I was glad to join Chief Kelly McCarthy, Mayor Melvin Carter, Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman, and Chair Carlos Mariani to talk about brave, bold, and real solutions for public safety in Minnesota.

I continue to work hard on the $150 million legislative package for public safety. We need resources to be funneled into high-crime areas across the state. We need every officer to have a body camera. We need to invest in crime prevention, with community partnerships that work. We need to lean into the data-driven co-responder model. We need to invest in recruitment, retention, and training of officers. This bill addresses all of those needs.

Here's an article from the AP on the issue. 

If you have any questions about this, please reach out! I want us all to work together for a public safety system that keeps everyone in Minnesota safe.

Here’s video of our press conference.

Supporting Workers

Last 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.

Also approved was 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, the House also approved legislation 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. Nearly 900,000 Minnesota workers, including two-thirds of workers in the lowest wage positions, lack access to paid time off.

At a time of sickness, injury or emergency, everyone should be able to take care of themselves or a family member. The pandemic demonstrated the urgent need for this proposal, which allows employees to earn time off. This is a matter of worker dignity and necessity. It’s time this important measure becomes law.

Frontline Worker Pay

We’re STILL waiting for the Senate to come to the table to support our frontline workers. I’m still working with Sen. Murphy to hear from frontline workers across the state, and we were happy to have Lt. Governor Flanagan join us earlier this month.

Please help us in this push- be vocal on social media, contact your legislators, and let’s all work together to get frontline workers the $1,500 checks they earned!

Transgender Day of Visibility

Last week, we celebrated #TDOV, a day created for trans joy. But visibility isn’t enough- it’s time the Minnesota Legislature takes action on real support that we can pass for the trans community. Let’s ban conversion therapy, protect access to healthcare, make it easier for official documents to reflect your gender, and make the equal rights amendment a reality.

Support for Public Defenders

Public defenders play a vital role in our criminal legal system. If they are not funded adequately they cannot do their job well. Adequately funding our public defenders means we care that our poor get the same zealous representation as the wealthy. I’m honored to be an author on Chair Becker-Finn’s proposal to provide this needed support.

Supporting ALS Research, Caregiver Supports

The House recently approved a groundbreaking package of investments to support research into a cure and to help caregivers of those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurodegenerative condition that results in progressive loss of motor control of voluntary muscles. It affects approximately 30,000 Americans, with about 5,000 new cases diagnosed every year. At any one time, there are an average of 450 Minnesotans living with ALS. It’s 100% fatal and there is no known cure.

The bill invests $20 million toward research into the prevention, treatment, causes, and cures of ALS, and invests $5 million for caregiver support programs for families of people with ALS. Sen. David Tomassoni of Chisholm was diagnosed with the condition last year. Despite the effect the disease has had on him, he’s dedicated his remaining time in the legislature to push for these bold investments. I’m proud we could come together on a bipartisan basis to quickly move this initiative through the legislature to make a positive impact on people’s lives.

Standing with Ukraine

The past few weeks have been full of harrowing images from Ukraine as Russia continues their violent invasion. In what has been a conflict of ever-growing atrocities, my heart goes out to the Ukrainian people, including the 17,000 Ukrainian-Americans who call Minnesota home. 

In a broadly bipartisan move, legislators representing the four main caucuses in the Minnesota Legislature passed a bill that has been signed into law to divest Minnesota’s state pension fund from Russia and codify Governor Walz’s Executive Order barring the state from contracting with Russian companies. The bill has now unanimously passed in both the House and Senate.

Prior to the invasion of Ukraine, the estimated worth of Minnesota's state pension fund investments in Russia was approximately $53 million. The legislation will also sanction Belarus for its complicity in the Russian invasion.

In joining numerous other democracies in a similar action, Minnesota is standing with Ukraine and adding to the international pressure that will hopefully soon lead to peace.

You can read more about this legislation here. 

Black Maternal Health Caucus Agenda

The difference in life expectancy begins before birth. For as long as the state and nation has collected data on infant mortality, there has been a racial gap. Black and Indigenous infants in Minnesota are twice as likely to die before their first birthday than white infants. The disparity between infant mortality rates of Black and White babies is larger than the gap experienced under chattel slavery. 

Furthermore, research demonstrates that when Black newborns are cared for by Black physicians, they are less likely to experience death in the hospital setting. According to the research, when Black newborns in the study were cared for by White physicians, Black newborns were approximately three times more likely to die in the hospital than White newborns. But when Black physicians cared for Black mothers, the excess mortality rate dropped by about 50 percent.

We need to not only study, but take action to address disparities around maternal health. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues of the Black Maternal Health Caucus and fight for the measures listed above.

Property Tax Relief

I’m working with my colleagues to provide comprehensive property tax relief for our neighbors. Everyone knows that the value and pricing of housing is currently sky-high, these increases are impacted everyone especially the fixed-income retirees in our district.  Our legislation includes one of the largest investments in property tax cuts and renters’ credit in decades, as well as providing ongoing investments in communities across the state. It will put money back into Minnesotans’ pockets at a time when they need it the most.

If you’d like to see an overview of our property tax package, click here.

COVID-19 Update

Last 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 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.

Keep in Touch!

Thanks so much for your attention to this e-update. Please remember to reach out if you ever need me- rep.cedrick.frazier@house.mn. I’m honored to represent you at the Capitol.

Together,

Cedrick Frazier
State Representative

Cedrick Frazier
State Representative, District 45A 
Minnesota House of Representatives