Dear Neighbors, This will be my last newsletter to you before our session adjourns on May 20th. The bulk of our time these past few weeks has been spent on the House Floor, debating and passing our proposals for new policies and supplemental budgets. Much of this work is building off our efforts from last year, ensuring our investments have the greatest impact possible for Minnesotans. We’ve now passed all our major supplemental budgets. You can read these nonpartisan summaries of our work on K-12 Education, Children & Families, Transportation, Labor, and Housing, Higher Education, Judiciary and Public Safety, State and Local Government and Veterans, Elections, Human Services, Workforce and Economic Development, Agriculture, Commerce, and Energy, Health, and Taxes.As we continue to pass our remaining House proposals, House and Senate members are currently meeting in conference committees to craft consensus legislation for where we differ in these issue areas. I’m excited to share that I have been named to the Education Finance Conference Committee, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this legislation passed. Thank you for all your advocacy during my first legislative session. It has been an honor representing the constituents of 63A at our Capitol.  ERA House Vote Today!Today, the House will hear legislation proposing a state constitutional amendment to codify the right to equality. The legislation, known as the Minnesota Equal Rights Amendment, would submit the proposed amendment to voters at the 2026 state general election, and if approved, would take effect January 1, 2027. The Minnesota Equal Rights Amendment would guarantee every Minnesotan the same rights under the law, and codify protections against discrimination by the state based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, or sex — including pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. In Minnesota, we believe in freedom, fairness, and equality for everyone. This important legislation will once and for all codify those beliefs and values into law. Across the country we are seeing people’s rights and freedoms being rolled back, and this legislation will ensure that that doesn’t happen in Minnesota.  Public Option Passes House All Minnesotans deserve to live healthy lives with economic security, and DFLers at the Capitol are committed to expanding access to affordable, quality health care. Unfortunately, too many Minnesotans currently can’t afford health insurance or have health insurance they can’t afford to use. Working families without employer-based insurance often face outrageous premiums and other out-of-pocket costs. For instance, many plans on the individual market have annual deductibles of $7,000 or higher. This puts Minnesotans in an impossible predicament, which leads to people avoiding care and results in poor health outcomes – sometimes with tragic consequences. Last week the House passed the MinnesotaCare Public Option. It would allow all Minnesotans to access comprehensive health insurance coverage – with vision, dental, and more – with low out-of-pocket costs and a large network of quality medical providers. People enrolled in the Public Option would pay their own premiums – with significantly lower prices than what’s available currently on the individual market – determined on a sliding scale based on income. MinnesotaCare has been a nation-leading, highly successful, and trusted health insurance program serving low-income working Minnesotans for over 30 years. This bill creates a MinnesotaCare Public Option – which would expand affordable health insurance to thousands of more Minnesotans. Join me for a Coffee Hour!You're invited to a Coffee Hour to recap our accomplishments from the last two years! Please join me for a discussion on Thursday, June 6 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at Sunbean Coffee. I hope to see you there!  Uber and Lyft UpdateEvery worker deserves to be paid fairly. When Uber and Lyft drivers come to us with story after story of being denied the wages and protections of employees that Minnesota and federal law require - we listen and we act. Recently, a compromise agreement was reached setting both the city of Minneapolis and statewide wages for drivers at $1.27 per mile and $0.49 per minute. The legislation was heard in committees last week with strong support for the bill. Uber and Lyft have since publicly rejected that proposal, so conversations continue with the Transportation Network Companies, as well as the Executive branch. Every step of the way, we have worked with our local and state drivers to ensure a fair wage and we will keep working towards that goal until the end of session. Keep in TouchPlease continue to reach out anytime if you need assistance or have questions at rep.samantha.sencer-mura@house.mn.gov or 651-297-7087. You can also follow my Facebook page. In community, Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura Minnesota House of Representatives |