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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Ilhan Omar (DFL)

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Legislative Update - January 27, 2017

Friday, January 27, 2017

Dear Neighbors,

This has been a busy week, but as I visit with so many of you at the Capitol I have been inspired by the strength we share when we work together. The impact we are making is being felt now and it will continue to be felt in the months to come as we stand together for unity and justice for all! Here’s a recap of some of the things that have been happening at the Capitol.

Health Insurance Premium Relief

Yesterday the House passed premium relief for the 125,000 Minnesotans who receive health insurance on the private market. The bill had been improved in conference committee to remove Republican provisions that would make it possible for insurance companies to deny individuals because of pre-existing conditions, but it still included their desire to allow for-profit insurance corporations to set up shop in Minnesota. I wanted Minnesotans on the individual market to get immediate relief, but not at the expense of jeopardizing our insurance market into the future and so I felt I had to oppose this corporate give-away.

Executive Orders Banning Refugees

On Wednesday I joined many of my colleagues and members of our community to organize an official press response to the hateful executive orders issued by President Trump. You can watch my remarks here from the press conference that included Minnesotans of all different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds. We took as stand to say that we objected to these executive orders targeting and attacking refugees, Muslims, and immigrants from Somalia, Mexico and other nations. Minnesota is a place where we welcome all people from all backgrounds and nationalities. We recognize the humanity of one another and we acknowledge that our lives, our culture and our economy are enriched by immigrant communities.

 

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Attendees at a Capitol press conference opposing President Trump’s executive orders banning immigrants and ordering the construction of a border wall.

Protest Legislation

Many people gathered to speak out against the Republican efforts here and around the country attempting to make protest illegal. There was a packed committee hearing on Tuesday for a bill that would seek to criminalize peaceful protest by making it legal to sue protesters for costs associated with protests. I spoke out forcefully against this measure and voted against the bill, even as it passed in committee. Measures like this attempt to restrict our first amendment rights to peacefully assemble and are unconstitutional. I’ll be joining the bill author to debate the issue tonight on Almanac at 7pm. Tune in to the Minnesota Channel or watch online.

Governor’s Budget: An Opportunity Agenda

This week Governor Dayton unveiled his 2017-2018 budget plan. One of the great things about his vision for the next two years is increased support for our students from pre-K to college, and increasing a focus on economic growth and employment opportunities. He discussed many other portions of his budget in his State of the State address on Monday. You can read his full remarks from the State of the State here and his full budget release with details on many other parts of the state budget here.

Real ID

Next week the House will likely vote on the bill to bring Minnesota into federal compliance with “Real ID”. As I said last week, I strongly oppose this bill because it discriminates against undocumented residents of our community who need safe, legal access to a driver’s license, and I’ve co-authored legislation that would change this. I’ll let you know how you can get involved to speak against the harmful plan that would criminalize hard working members of our community, and show your support for our bill that would give driver’s license access to all.

You can always contact me at rep.ilhan.omar@house.mn or at 651-296-4257. I appreciate hearing from you.

Please follow me on facebook and twitter to stay up to date and receive action alerts.

Sincerely,

Ilhan Omar

State Representative