Dear Neighbors,
There are now two days remaining in the legislative session, and I have updates from the Capitol.
Final Budget Negotiations
The budget negotiations between Republicans and Governor Dayton are continuing slowly. Several times over the last week these negotiations have stalled as the Republicans continue to walk away from the negotiating table or cut off negotiations altogether. Republicans have already failed to pass a budget once this session by passing budget bills that Governor Dayton had promised to veto, and they seem set to do so again, as of this writing.
We don’t know the contents of this second attempt at the Republican budget bills, and neither does the Governor, which is a great concern and could lead to more vetoes. However, I can tell you there were numerous good reasons for Governor Dayton to veto the first round of bills.
When budget negotiations completely broke down between Republican leaders and Governor Dayton, the Governor summarized the Republican priorities in the same way many of their vetoed budget bills could be described:
Mark Dayton: “It is going to be real money and it is going to come out of the real pockets of real Minnesotans, who are elderly, who are disabled, who are down and out. They are going to take away services and dollars for them. Same thing for nursing homes, same thing for personal care attendants, same thing for education, special education, pre-kindergarten. All these things they are going to cut, for them they are numbers on a piece of paper. For us they are real people. They are real Minnesotans.”
You can listen to Governor Dayton’s full remarks here. He offered to meet Republican leaders half way, but Republicans walked away from the negotiating table. Governor Dayton will need our support to continue standing strong for Minnesotans.
You can read the Governor’s veto letters explaining his reasoning here:
For my part, I have taken an active role speaking out against the harmful Republican budget measures outlined in the letters above, and continuing to speak out in support of the issues our community wants to see move forward at the Capitol.
Hearing Voices of Minnesota Women
Last week at the Capitol I joined Governor Dayton, Lt. Governor Smith and my fellow DFL women legislators to speak up for the needs of Minnesota women as we approach the end of the legislative session. Specifically, I spoke about the harmful impacts of the Republican effort to eliminate the state Office on the Economic Status of Women (OESW). The OESW has helped me in so many ways to create bills that will help improve the economic lives of women in our community, and it has been a valuable resource for communities of color. You can watch my remarks in the video linked here (my remarks start at minute 12).
Protecting Transit for Our Community
Earlier this month I joined my colleagues to speak up for the value of transit to so many families in our community. We gathered to send a message to Republicans to use our budget surplus to find the right path that invests in our future by investing in strong transit networks. We can't support a budget that doesn't invest in the transit we depend on every day. Insight News shared more details about the harmful Republican transit plan here:
Youth Embracing Equality, Strengthening Our Future
I had a fantastic visit recently with students from "Lovin’ the Skin I'm In". Other members of the POCI (People of Color and Indigenous) Caucus and I had great conversations about their future goals and plans. It makes me so proud to know that when students from diverse communities come to the Capitol, they can meet legislators of diverse backgrounds who have shared experiences.
Please contact me if you have questions about these topics, or any other legislative issue. You can reach me at rep.rena.moran@house.mn or 651-296-5158.
Together, we are stronger!
Sincerely,
Rena Moran
Deputy Minority Leader
State Representative – District 65A