Dear Neighbors,
After spending a lovely weekend enjoying the early signs of summer, I am back at the Capitol for the last week of session as we wrap up the final work on behalf of the people of Minnesota.
Last week, the House debated and passed supplemental budget and policy bills on the floor, covering important issues such as education, labor, housing, the environment, and more. Our work this year builds on last year’s historic successes and works to improve the lives of working and middle-class Minnesotans. Recently, the House has passed:
- A broadly bipartisan bill investing $240 million in our outdoors, clean water, parks and trails, and cultural heritage from the Legacy Amendment fund.
- A K-12 Education bill that boosts resources for the READ Act to improve literacy, moves forward solutions for student wellbeing, and enhances support for teachers.
- An Environment and Natural Resources bill with new investments in tree planting, improving air quality, holding repeat polluters accountable, and tackling solid waste and recycling.
- A Children and Families bill that reforms our child protection system and builds on historic investments in economic support for families, food security, and emergency shelter.
- A Transportation, Labor, and Housing bill that invests in railroad safety and public transit, enhances worker rights and safety, improves housing stability for renters and seniors, and funds homelessness prevention.
We passed a Pensions and Retirement bill with bipartisan support, which prioritizes educators’ retirement security, improves our pension systems’ health, and strengthens the benefits retirees can expect.
Protecting Kids Online
Careers in social media are becoming increasingly common, with the industry worth an estimated $250 billion. This week the House passed legislation establishing legal protections for “kidfluencers” online.
More and more children are producing content for platforms like YouTube or TikTok, amassing large online followings, and, in many cases, monetizing their content through sponsorships with big-name brands or the platforms themselves. This legislation prohibits minors under the age of 14 from creating video content for online platforms for money. For minors 14-18 years old that are compensated for their participation in creating video, the bill requires that compensation to be placed in a trust account accessible once they turn 18.
You can view the floor debate here.
Misclassification Passes Minnesota House
Last week the Minnesota House passed HF5242, the Transportation, Labor, and Housing Budget Bill. Included is my bill to improve the state’s ability to fight employer misclassification fraud.
Misclassification is when an employee incorrectly treats someone who, according to law should be an employee, as an independent contractor. While an employee of an organization receives legal protections under federal and state laws, independent contractors bear the burden of their own payroll taxes and have little to no labor protections.
All workers deserve economic security and protections of earning minimum wage and overtime, unemployment insurance when you get laid off and workers compensation when you get hurt on the job. But when irresponsible employers don’t play by the rules, workers get hurt, law-abiding businesses can't compete, and safety net protections like unemployment insurance are put at risk. This legislation ensures Minnesota has the legal and enforcement tools to turn the tide on the problem of misclassification fraud to protect workers, law-abiding businesses, and the Minnesota public for generations to come.
Minnesota’s Climate Progress
You may have seen MPR’s recent climate story - Report finds Minnesota outpacing the country in carbon-free electricity. Minnesota has produced more than half our energy from carbon-free sources for the fourth year in a row, and seen a 10% annual drop in greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector!
The report, released by Clean Energy Economy Minnesota and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, shows clearly that the steps we are taking at the Legislature to address and combat climate change are working. We can’t afford to backtrack on our progress.
Minnesota is leading the way toward a cleaner, greener future! House Democrats are taking action on climate change with the urgency required, and we will keep working to accelerate our transition to carbon-free energy sources.
Passing Gun Safety Legislation
Lost and stolen guns are often used in crimes, or end up in the hands of those who may cause harm to themselves or others. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, roughly 266,000 guns were stolen across the U.S. per year from 2017-2021. Of these, only 3% were stolen from federally licensed gun dealers, while 95% were stolen from private citizens, equivalent to one every two minutes, and a quarter are never reported to law enforcement.
This week we passed legislation to help prevent gun trafficking, assist in recovering lost or stolen guns, make firearm owners more accountable for their weapons, and give our law enforcement another tool to help keep our communities safe and free of gun violence by requiring lost or stolen firearms to be reported to law enforcement within 48 hours after they are known to be lost.
We also passed legislation strengthening Minnesota’s laws around straw purchases, which occur when an individual buys a firearm for someone ineligible to purchase or possess them. H.F. 2609 updates the state’s straw purchasing law to increase the penalty from a gross misdemeanor to a felony.
Finally, we passed H.F. 4300, which requires the safe storage of firearms, an important step to prevent access by children and others who should not have access to guns. This bill requires firearms be stored either unloaded and equipped with a locking device or placed in a locked firearm storage unit (e.g., a gun safe) or a locked gun room, where it may be either loaded or unloaded. The safe storage of firearms will save lives.
All Minnesotans deserve to be safe in their communities, and this legislation is a step in the right direction. I was proud to vote yes on these bills.
Stay in Touch
Thank you for your time, energy, and all you do to make our community a great place for everyone.
Please reach out and let us know about events and meetings you’d like me to attend. And always reach out to me with your input and ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance. My email is rep.emma.greenman@house.mn.gov or you are always welcome to call me at the Capitol at 651-296-4200 and follow my Facebook page for updates.
It’s an honor and a privilege to be your State Representative. I'm very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together and look forward to the work we have ahead of us. Together we can create a stronger, brighter future for all Minnesotans!
Best,
Emma Greenman
State Representative