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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Dan Schoen (DFL)

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Legislative Update - March 9, 2016

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Dear Neighbors,

It's an honor to be back in St. Paul with my fellow legislators finally getting to the business of our government. We've all been hard at work in committees, working groups, or task force meetings over the last several months individually, but it’s great to have everyone back together as we find solutions to build upon a better Minnesota for everyone.

This session will be relatively short – just 10 weeks – and especially after the gridlock leading to a special session last year, I had been optimistic we could quickly find a spirit of collaboration to get things done. Unfortunately the first day of the Minnesota legislative session did not go smoothly. With the intense partisanship and political gamesmanship we’ve seen develop recently at the Capitol, quite frankly, at this point it’s hard to blame people who have nothing but disdain for the political process as we know it today. We couldn’t even get through the first day without drama and partisan bickering.

Recently, we were given indications that a bill to extend unemployment benefits to laid-off steelworkers on the Iron Range would be passed through cleanly, but such a bill did not show up on the House Floor yesterday. Instead, House GOP leadership packaged massive business tax cuts into the bill which was originally designed to deal with an economic disaster situation in part of our state. Eight local chambers of commerce up north pleaded in a letter for a standalone bill with nothing but an extension of unemployment benefits. Traditionally, Minnesotans come together for disasters, whether natural or economic. That didn’t happen yesterday, and I hope we can find a way to move forward on a smoother path.

In addition to the political debate itself, when I arrived at the Minnesota State Capitol yesterday I was filled with disappointment. For the last three years on the first day of the legislative session we have been met with throngs of well-wishers, families, school groups and various members of the public who were there to show their displeasure or show their support. Even when groups were there in opposition to an issue I supported I had positive feeling about our state knowing they weren’t muted by our government.

Yesterday, there were no groups. The public galleries were empty because they are closed due to construction. The public is virtually shut out. Members of the media have limited access with passes given to a small number of reporters. Running water? None. Bathrooms? None. There is water to drink and outdoor portable toilets have been moved in but they don’t make up for our government shutting out those people who sent us there with the honor to represent them. While on paper our temporary arrangement in the Capitol is up to code, I personally don’t feel that this is up to acceptable standards in the case of an emergency situation.

The House of Representatives is the People’s House. I mean this in the sense that the House is not just a facility, but an institution which has long had standards of openness and accessibility. We had an opportunity to meet in a space which had full disability access, fully accessible bathrooms and space for the public and the press. This is another situation where politics seems to have gotten in the way of common sense decision making. I am disappointed House leadership took this option which keeps our neighbors, friends and school children away from their government while it works.

Last night I joined Cottage Grove Mayor Myron Bailey, St. Paul Park Mayor Keith Franke, Newport Council Member Dan Lund and representatives of Northern Tier Refinery/Super America at the Minnesota State Chamber of Commerce annual dinner at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Mayor Bailey and I both took the opportunity to discuss our hopes for the company and discussed the ongoing gas pricing complaints in our area. We all acknowledged the price gap has been better since opening a dialogue of all the people we represent. Recently there have been times when I’ve noticed (and others have told me, too) that we’ve actually had cheaper gas than nearby areas, and this is a first in over a decade from my memory.

Tonight is Governor Dayton’s 2016 State of the State address to both bodies of the Legislature at the University of Minnesota at 7:00 p.m. I look forward to hearing from our Governor as we head into what appears to be a very difficult session ahead. Video of the address can be livestreamed at The Uptake and Minnesota Public Radio News will have coverage as well.

I’d also like to make note that yesterday was International Women’s Day. The highlighted theme yesterday was a goal of global gender parity. Remarkably, the World Economic Forum predicts that this will likely not be reached until 2133. This is unacceptable, and as a legislator, I’m committed to enacting policies recognizing the unique challenges women face with regard to health, employment, and at home. One policy in which our state (and nation) lags well behind the rest of the world is Paid Family Leave. Earlier this week a new coalition announced a plan to implement this in Minnesota (the bill is carried in the Senate by Sen. Katie Sieben), and I am in full support.

I am honored to be your representative. Please stay in touch with your input throughout the session.

Sincerely,

Dan Schoen
State Representative