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Legislative News and Views - Rep. JoAnn Ward (DFL)

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Legislative Update- April 12, 2018

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Dear Neighbors,

I hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful Easter or Passover Holiday celebration. We returned to work at the Capitol on Monday. There are fewer than six weeks left in session and a lot remains for us to address.

MVP Town Hall Reminder

A friendly reminder about the upcoming Minnesota Values Project Conversation to be held this Saturday, April 14. If the anticipated spring snow storm prevents us from gathering, I will post a cancellation notice here.

I have the details listed below:

WHAT: MVP Community Conversation
WHERE: Oakdale Library Meeting Room
WHEN: Saturday, April 14 at 10:00-11:30 a.m.

I hope to see you there and am looking forward to your feedback!

Equal Pay Day

April 10 marked Equal Pay Day. Equal Pay Day is the point in the year when the salaries of women finally catch up with men’s salaries from the previous year. In Minnesota, women earn 83 cents for every dollar a man makes, and the gap is much worse for indigenous women and women of color. We have a lot more to do to address this issue.

You can find more information here at the National Women’s Law Center.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month

This month, communities across the United States are recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (#SAAPM). This is a powerful reminder of the #MeToo movement and why we need to keep the discussion ongoing on how we can combat these actions and behaviors.

As policymakers on the state level, we’ve been working on how to address the needed culture change at the Capitol. After the House majority voted down a proposal that would establish a bipartisan task force on sexual harassment to make recommendations on best practices for reporting and investigation, Rep. Becker-Finn announced her intention to convene a new workgroup to address concerns about sexual assault and harassment at the State Capitol. I am the vice-chair of this workgroup, charged with keeping this moving forward in the coming months.

The bottom line is that everyone deserve workplaces free of harassment and discrimination, no matter their field of work or place of employment. We can and must do better.

Board Vacancies

The Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office released notice of new vacancies for various state boards, councils and committees that are accepting applications. The newest vacancies are listed below, and the full list of vacancies can be found on the website Open Positions.

Applications may be submitted online, and must be submitted within 21 days of the “Publish Date” listed to be assured of full consideration. Appointing authorities may choose to review applications received by the Secretary of State after the 21-day application period.

Please stay in touch as we move through these fast paced, final weeks of session. I appreciate hearing from you.

Sincerely,

JoAnn Ward