Dear Neighbors,
Greetings to you from the Capitol! A few things coming up that I want you to be aware of:
Upcoming Town Hall
I am co-hosting town hall opportunities for you to discuss important issues with legislators tomorrow February 11, 2017. Please plan to join me with Representative Loeffler and Senator Dziedzic from 10:30-11:30am at Matthews Park (2318 S 29th Avenue) or later from 1:00-2:00pm at Van Cleve Park (901 15th Ave SE). You can see details below .
Executive Orders Banning Refugees
As many of you have heard, the US Federal Court of Appeals has blocked the Presidents Executive Order that imposed a travel ban on refugees. I am grateful for the checks and balances written into the fabric of our Constitution after rulings like this. Thank you for the excellent turnout recently at the town hall I hosted on the President’s executive orders. I continue to work with members of our community, and I am communicating with our federal elected leaders. If you have concerns you’d like to share with our federal elected officials, their numbers are below:
CONGRESSMAN ELLISON - (202) 225-4755
SENATOR KLOBUCHAR - (202) 224-3244
SENATOR FRANKEN - (202) 224-5641
Health Insurance Update
This week we received an update on MNsure enrollments and the one week extension that occurred to allow individuals to buy insurance until February 8th. MNsure signed up more than 117,000 people during the three-month open enrollment period for 2017 that ended on Jan. 31. That’s a 47% increase in enrollments. Sign-ups on the individual market (those who don’t have coverage through an employer) increased during the one week extension with the rebate guarantee. MNsure's initial data shows 41,000 Minnesotans will receive the new 25 percent discount that was passed by the legislature.
It was great to have bright young minds visiting my office this week from Patrick Henry High School with Girls in Action! Please come back soon!
Preemption Legislation
House Republicans have blocked attempts to advance progressive employment policies for years, such as paid family leave, earned sick & safe time, and minimum wage increases. Because of their lack of action, cities like Minneapolis have been passing pro-worker policies at the local level. Over the last two weeks, Republicans advanced a bill in committee to attack local workplace reforms and prevent communities from enacting their own policies. The "preemption" bill would prevent communities from adopting local labor policies such as paid leave or a minimum wage.
We know that it is better for all of us when sick workers can stay home from work and parents can use paid leave to care for a newborn. People who work full-time should be able to support themselves through their work. I will join my DFL colleagues in voting against this bill as it moves through the committee process.
Legislation Requiring Trump to Release Tax Returns
This week I authored legislation that would require Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates to release their tax returns if they want their name to go on the ballot in Minnesota. We need to have more transparency to give the public the accountability they expect from their President.
Car Sharing Legislation
I have recently authored legislation to incentivize car sharing services (HF 522), such as Car2Go. It is important for our community that this car sharing business model be successful. I have heard from many people that had come to depend on transportation options like car sharing. Services like Car2Go became essential for individuals who couldn’t afford the costs of a car in the city, whether they were college students, or seniors, or families on a tight budget, car sharing options were a great alternative to give people more independence. Having more transportation options in a growing city like Minneapolis is always a good thing.
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