Dear Neighbors,
As we conclude our third week here at the Capitol in St. Paul, I wanted to share an update on a few issues that have concerned many of you and invite you to the Women's March in St. Paul tomorrow. See details below.
Health Insurance Premium Relief
Just last night, the House voted on a bill to provide relief for the 125,000 Minnesotans who receive health insurance on the private market, but sadly that bill also includes Republican provisions that would make it possible for insurance companies to deny individuals because of pre-existing conditions or pregnancy. It also included Republican reforms that haven’t been publicly vetted in any accountable way, and wouldn’t provide financial assistance until 2018, when families need relief now. I joined most of my DFL colleagues in voting no on a bill filled with so many bad provisions.
Real ID Debate
Republicans also passed a bill to bring the state into compliance on Real ID last week. As a member of the Civil Law and Data Practices Committee, I opposed the bill because of provisions that target and discriminate against undocumented immigrants. You can read more about that hearing and vote here. The bill still passed through committee, even with DFL opposition to these provisions. I’ll continue to fight it, along with supporting provisions that would help give safe legal access to driver’s licenses for immigrants.
Stand-Your-Ground and “Permitless” Carry
This week House Republicans introduced two extreme gun provisions that would allow you to shoot to kill other human beings in a variety of scenarios in your home or in public, and also carry a gun on your person without having a permit (or training) to carry, as is currently law. Citypages reported on these bills, and you can read more here. Obviously, these are bad ideas. I’ll continue to work on expanded criminal justice reform and common sense gun restrictions (like universal background checks) as I oppose these and other gun measures that will only harm more Minnesotans in the end.
A Hateful Social Agenda
There have also been hateful bills that would make it legal for businesses to discriminate against LGBT Minnesotans and deny services, and push a discriminatory and hateful policy making it impossible for trans students to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity at school. I’ll be strongly opposing these bills, and also working with my colleagues to outlaw conversion therapy for LGBT youth in Minnesota.
Women’s March in St. Paul
Finally, I know it can be easy to forget about our shared power to make our voices heard when we see so much bad news on the tv and in the newspaper in recent days, but there are reasons to be hopeful. I encourage you all to attend the Women’s March in St. Paul on Saturday, and get engaged with your neighbors to make your voices heard.
Standing Up to Protect Our Freedoms
When we stand up together for what we believe in, we know we can’t be stopped. The signs we see of Republican lawmakers around the country (and in Minnesota) attempting to make peaceful protest illegal are sure signs of the impact we’re having on the public conscience, and we can’t stop now. Republicans will hear a bill allowing local governments to sue peaceful protesters in the Civil Law and Data Practices committee on Tuesday, January 24 at 8:15am in the Basement hearing room of the State Office Building. If you’d like to attend and make your opposition known, I encourage you to attend.
It is our constitutional right to join together in peaceful demonstration and make our voices heard, and stand up for what we believe in – unity and justice for all! We can’t let the hateful, racist, sexist rhetoric of Donald Trump (or anyone else) stand in our way.
It will take all of us together to make justice for all a reality!
Sincerely,
Ilhan Omar
State Representative