Dear Neighbors,
There’s very little time left until the end of session and we’re counting down the hours. Many of us can’t understand why we would leave here without a major commitment to educating our children when we have a $2 billion projected surplus. The last biennium, under DFL House Leadership, we invested 60% more than what is being proposed in these final negotiations. After many years of under-investment, cuts, and shifts we need to keep reinvesting in our future. I stand with the Governor in wanting to invest more in our early learners and not shortchange our students and schools, and not raising tuition on college students.
Budget Negotiations Update
The House Republican and DFL Senate Leaders have agreed to joint budget targets. It's unclear if any policies have been agreed to or how we’ll get things done on time, but I’d like to let you know that I will not be voting for the education budget that has been proposed. Supporting our schools and our children ought to be something Republicans and Democrats can both agree on and I’m hopeful we can still make a major commitment to education this session.
I and many other state legislators stand with Governor Dayton and his call for an investment of $550 million in E-12 Education. He has threatened to veto the education bill if it doesn't contain adequate funding; this is the right thing to do for Minnesota. We have a projected surplus of nearly $2 billion. We need to uphold our state’s commitment to our children.
Click here to see a letter my colleagues and I sent supporting the Governor's call for education funding.
Pollinator Protections in Peril
Last year, the DFL-led legislature addressed the widespread use of pesticides that harm and kill bees and other pollinating insects. We rely on them to pollinate our flowers and allow plants to bear fruit. Last year we approved a law that nurseries and gardening centers couldn’t market plants as “pollinator” or “bee and butterfly friendly” if they’ve been treated with pesticides containing neonicotinoids, an artificial chemical that is toxic. We all know bees and other pollinators go from flower to flower. Recent research has found that even low levels of neonicotinoids can interfere with the ability of bees and other insects to function. While attractive to pollinators, the plants might actually harm or kill them. People have a right to know if plants they purchase contain chemicals that can contribute to the decline of bees and other pollinators.
This year, after much lobbying by businesses, the Republican-led House passed language that would allow nurseries to again market plants as safe for bees and other pollinators as long as neonicotinoid levels are low enough to not kill a bee after a single sip of nectar or after taking on a single load of pollen. In my view, that’s not safe enough and I voted against the measure. Bees are dying off, which is threatening our food and the health of our natural environment. Until we have more understanding of the science of this issue, we simply cannot allow the marketing of plants as “bee and butterfly friendly” if they can slowly poison bees and butterflies. I can’t support these changes and I hope you join me in learning more about the importance of bees and pollinators to our lives.
Contact me by email rep.connie.bernardy@house.mn or phone 651-296-5510.
Sincerely,
Connie Bernardy