Dear Neighbors,
On Monday, the Bureau of Mediation Services (BMS) mailed ballots to independent childcare providers, triggering a union election.
More specifically, the Department of Human Services (DHS) and BMS sent ballots to providers who have received state money from the childcare assistance program (CCAP) in December of 2015.
There is controversy regarding BMS and DHS' decision, considering the intent of legislation passed in 2013 was for ballots to be mailed to providers who had an active CCAP registration in the last twelve months—not just one.
In doing this, the number of providers who are eligible to participate in the election was dramatically reduced by as much as 80%. This and other tactics like this have raised questions regarding the fairness of the election. As there is a lot of misinformation being circulated, I wanted to share a few facts with you:
-
If child care providers are unionized, representation by the union is no longer voluntary
-
With union representation comes union dues. The likely dollar amount for Minnesota child care providers is not known at this point. However, the fees in other states have ranged from $300-$900 per year.
-
The vote will be determined based on the majority of ballots received, not based on the number of providers eligible to vote. If only 100 providers return ballots and 51 vote in favor of unionization, all providers caring for CCAP children will be unionized.
-
Childcare providers who do not currently accept CCAP are not eligible to vote in the union election, but the results of this election will impact all providers in Minnesota.
As always, I will keep you updated on this issue as more information becomes available.
Legislation Protecting Your Privacy
Recently, members from both sides of the aisle introduced bi-partisan legislation that would make important advancements in protecting the privacy of all Minnesota residents.
Together, these pieces of legislation include protections for student privacy, location tracking and personal data.
State Electronic Communications Privacy Act
This bill empowers states to provide reasonable privacy protections for their citizens’ emails and other electronic information where the federal law has failed to do so.
Student Information Systems Privacy
Legislation designed to retain the benefits of the school information systems while empowering parents and students to reasonably restrict third party access to and use of their personal information.
Protecting Students’ Privacy on School Issued Computing Devices
Designed to retain the benefits of school issued computers and tablets, but gives students and parents the ability to reasonably restrict who has access to the device to protect sensitive and personal information that may be on it.
Student Social Media Privacy
This bill prohibits school officials from forcing or coercing students into providing access to their personal social media website pages, except under a limited set of specifically defined circumstances.
Employee Social Media Privacy
Prohibits employers from forcing or coercing employees into providing access to their personal social media website pages, except under a limited set of specifically defined circumstances.
Supreme Court Halts Obama’s Clean Power Plan
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court stopped the enforcement of President Obama's Clean Power Plan in a 5-4 decision until legal challenges have been resolved. To date, 27 states have filed suit against the EPA over the proposal, citing federal government overreach, skyrocketing rates for consumers and high costs of implementation on as serious concerns.
I will make sure to keep you updated as more information becomes available.
Property Tax Listening Session with Rep. Scott and Chair Drazkowski
Rep. Peggy Scott and I invite you to attend a property tax listening session on Friday, February 26th at Anoka City Hall. The event is set to begin at 5:00 pm.
Joining us at the listening session will be House Property Tax Division Chairman, Steve Drazkowski.
This listening session gives us a great opportunity to explain what was accomplished last session on the property tax relief front, and to gather feedback from you and your neighbors about how property taxes are affecting your homes and businesses.
I hope to see you there!
Staying in Touch
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions, comments, or concerns on anything related to state government. It would be an honor to discuss your ideas on how we can make Minnesota better for everyone. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-1729 or via email at rep.abigail.whelan@house.mn.
You can also stay up-to-date on everything that is happening in St. Paul by visiting my Facebook page and Twitter account.
Warm Regards,
Abigail
Dear Neighbors,
On Monday, the Bureau of Mediation Services (BMS) mailed ballots to independent childcare providers, triggering a union election.
More specifically, the Department of Human Services (DHS) and BMS sent ballots to providers who have received state money from the childcare assistance program (CCAP) in December of 2015.
There is controversy regarding BMS and DHS' decision, considering the intent of legislation passed in 2013 was for ballots to be mailed to providers who had an active CCAP registration in the last twelve months—not just one.
In doing this, the number of providers who are eligible to participate in the election was dramatically reduced by as much as 80%. This and other tactics like this have raised questions regarding the fairness of the election. As there is a lot of misinformation being circulated, I wanted to share a few facts with you:
-
If child care providers are unionized, representation by the union is no longer voluntary
-
With union representation comes union dues. The likely dollar amount for Minnesota child care providers is not known at this point. However, the fees in other states have ranged from $300-$900 per year.
-
The vote will be determined based on the majority of ballots received, not based on the number of providers eligible to vote. If only 100 providers return ballots and 51 vote in favor of unionization, all providers caring for CCAP children will be unionized.
-
Childcare providers who do not currently accept CCAP are not eligible to vote in the union election, but the results of this election will impact all providers in Minnesota.
As always, I will keep you updated on this issue as more information becomes available.
Legislation Protecting Your Privacy
Recently, members from both sides of the aisle introduced bi-partisan legislation that would make important advancements in protecting the privacy of all Minnesota residents.
Together, these pieces of legislation include protections for student privacy, location tracking and personal data.
State Electronic Communications Privacy Act
This bill empowers states to provide reasonable privacy protections for their citizens’ emails and other electronic information where the federal law has failed to do so.
Student Information Systems Privacy
Legislation designed to retain the benefits of the school information systems while empowering parents and students to reasonably restrict third party access to and use of their personal information.
Protecting Students’ Privacy on School Issued Computing Devices
Designed to retain the benefits of school issued computers and tablets, but gives students and parents the ability to reasonably restrict who has access to the device to protect sensitive and personal information that may be on it.
Student Social Media Privacy
This bill prohibits school officials from forcing or coercing students into providing access to their personal social media website pages, except under a limited set of specifically defined circumstances.
Employee Social Media Privacy
Prohibits employers from forcing or coercing employees into providing access to their personal social media website pages, except under a limited set of specifically defined circumstances.
Supreme Court Halts Obama’s Clean Power Plan
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court stopped the enforcement of President Obama's Clean Power Plan in a 5-4 decision until legal challenges have been resolved. To date, 27 states have filed suit against the EPA over the proposal, citing federal government overreach, skyrocketing rates for consumers and high costs of implementation on as serious concerns.
I will make sure to keep you updated as more information becomes available.
Property Tax Listening Session with Rep. Scott and Chair Drazkowski
Rep. Peggy Scott and I invite you to attend a property tax listening session on Friday, February 26th at Anoka City Hall. The event is set to begin at 5:00 pm.
Joining us at the listening session will be House Property Tax Division Chairman, Steve Drazkowski.
This listening session gives us a great opportunity to explain what was accomplished last session on the property tax relief front, and to gather feedback from you and your neighbors about how property taxes are affecting your homes and businesses.
I hope to see you there!
Staying in Touch
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions, comments, or concerns on anything related to state government. It would be an honor to discuss your ideas on how we can make Minnesota better for everyone. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-1729 or via email at rep.abigail.whelan@house.mn.
You can also stay up-to-date on everything that is happening in St. Paul by visiting my Facebook page and Twitter account.
Warm Regards,
Abigail