Dear Neighbors,
It was another busy week and we started off the week with Sovereignty Day at the Capitol. It was an educational opportunity for legislators and included tribal history, culture, sovereignty, and the interplay between federal, state, and tribal law. It was an honor to have the opportunity to listen and learn more from the leaders of the eleven sovereign tribal nations in Minnesota. Learn more about sovereignty day here.
If you have a friend, neighbor, or relative who wants to receive updates about the Legislature, let them know they can subscribe to my email list here, and follow my Facebook here. It’s an honor to represent our community.
Here are some other updates from the Capitol.
Improving Education Outcomes
My bill to require school districts and charter schools to employ licensed teachers in preschool, school readiness, school readiness plus, prekindergarten and other early education programs was heard this week. It would also add early education teachers to the statutory definition of teacher, allowing them to join collective bargaining units. I believe this bill will ensure we have highly qualified educators at all levels to guarantee our kids receive the best education possible. You can watch my testimony on this bill here.
Capital Investment/Local Jobs & Projects Bill
The Minnesota House voted to approve nearly $1.9 billion in investments for local jobs and projects throughout the state.
The package of legislation we passed addresses hundreds of critical infrastructure projects gone unfunded for too long. There are leaky roofs in state buildings, an outdated campus chemistry laboratory, unstable riverbanks, kids taking unsafe routes to schools, housing that needs to be built for our most vulnerable and failing wastewater infrastructure.
These and other projects are crucial to communities throughout the state, and inflation is only causing them to go up higher in cost the longer we delay. Unfortunately Senate Republicans refused to come to the table to vote for this legislation, deciding to play political games around their partisan priorities instead. Hopefully we can come to an agreement later this session.
Emergency Rental Assistance
On Thursday, in the face of skyrocketing evictions and rent increases, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed House File 1440, which delivers $50 million in emergency rental assistance to the state’s Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program.
Through much of the pandemic, federal rental assistance allowed Minnesotans to maintain housing stability. Many of those funds dried up in January of 2022, but the economic challenges facing low-income families did not. As a result, Minnesota experienced a skyrocketing eviction rate last year with more than 20,000 filed. Many counties across the state have seen 100% increases in eviction filings over pre-pandemic levels. This legislation is just one aspect of our efforts to improve housing outcomes for all Minnesotans.
Indian Family Preservation Act
Last week, The Minnesota House passed a bill that would enhance child welfare protections under the 1985 Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act, known as MIFPA. The legislation also affirms the state’s policy on Tribal-state relations, including the recognition of Tribes as sovereign nations and the recognition that Tribes have the inherent authority to determine their own jurisdiction for Indian child custody or child placement proceedings.
This bill comes just in time, as there is uncertainty on the fate of the Indian Child Welfare Act, with the conservative-leaning US Supreme Court expected to rule on its constitutionality. This bill will ensure that Minnesota remains a place that respects tribal sovereignty.
Stay in Touch
Please feel free to reach out to me by email at rep.josiah.hill@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-4124.
Sincerely,
Josiah Hill, District 33B
415 State Office Building
St. Paul, MN 55155