Legislative Update - April 13, 2018

ar Neighbors,

 

We got right back to work here at the Capitol after the Easter and Passover Holiday break. We have six weeks left in session and a lot left to do.

 

 

Recently, I had the pleasure of presenting HF 3976 in the Taxes Committee. As you know, I’ve been working with a bipartisan group of legislators, nonprofits and advocates to make sure no Minnesotan is hungry, especially kids. HF 3976 is one measure to help achieve that goal. My bill exempts prepared food purchases for charitable nonprofits organizations from sales taxes. Currently, nonprofits who are serving meals and being reimbursed by the federal government under CACFP (Child and Adult Food Program), like day programs and childcare centers, are charged a state sales tax as if the food was catered for a wedding. If my bill becomes law, organizations who serve those in need will have more of their dollars available for food purchases, rather than going toward the sales tax. One organization, Youthprise, testified that they will be able to serve 17,000 more meals.

 

 

It’s been a busy two weeks. I spent much of the Easter and Passover break visiting with constituents, having three town halls and attending various meetings. Here are a few of the highlights:

 

First a big thank you to everyone who attended our Reproductive Rights Town Hall. It was great to see so many of you engaged in this important conversation. Thanks to Rep. Erin Murphy and Sen. Sandy Pappas for joining me at this great event, moderated by the wonderful Thuy An.

 

 

 

Small but mighty Civics Town Hall turn out! We talked about civic engagement and how important participation in democracy is to our future.

 

And thank you to the super small, but super mighty, group of constituents who attended my Veterans Town Hall at the Apple Valley Legion on Thursday morning.

 

I also had the pleasure of a Metro Parks Delegation Meeting with a bipartisan group of legislators. It was organized by Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL-Minneapolis) and Rep. Anna Wills (R-Apple Valley). A quality park system makes our community a great place to live.

 

I had a lot of fun visiting schools, an eye clinic and attending town halls. A big thanks to Mr. Schulz and his class for having me. What a great group of kids he has in class!

 

 

April 10th 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 MN, 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.

 

 

Recently I joined Gov. Mark Dayton in calling for protection of pre-kindergarten programs from being eliminated for 4000 students at more than 59 school districts and charter schools across the state. These schools stand to lose state funding unless the Legislature takes action this year to protect pre-kindergarten investments for Minnesota’s four-year-olds.

 

Among those 4,000 students who stand to lose PreK, there are nearly 50 students in our very own Rosemount-Apple Valley- Eagan Public School District.

 

That’s unacceptable. I’ll work to do everything I can to ensure each and every kid has the opportunity to get a good education.

 

 

The good news is people are living longer, but the bad news is that it has made our assumptions for Minnesota’s pensions not line up with reality. Thankfully we could be on the verge of shoring up our long term pension obligations. One bipartisan fix would require workers and employers to put in a bit more, and then payout slightly less to retired workers over time. This fix would go a long way as it cuts Minnesota’s long-term liability in half.

 

The Senate unanimously passed that bill two weeks ago and we’ve been awaiting action in the House. It’s looking more and more each day like this fix will be held hostage for use in future budget negotiations. The people who work so hard for us as teachers, police officers, and fill so many of our state’s vital needs, don’t deserve to be subjected to a political game. If you’d like to take action, you can call Speaker Daudt and tell him our community doesn’t expect him to delay fixing our pension system in exchange for future political favors. His Capitol office number is 651-296-5364.

 

I’ll keep you up to date as the pension fix and budget negotiations move forward. You can read more about the bill in this MPR story.

 

 

There was a lot of concern when news broke in the fall of 2016 that premiums for those who buy insurance on the individual market might go up as much as 50 to 60 percent. As a result we worked to pass the Premium Assistance Program in 2017. That program helped 118,000 Minnesotans and their families save on average $350 a month, or $4,200 a year, in health insurance costs.

 

While that’s great news, we need to do a lot more. I’m supporting the Minnesota Care Buy-In, which would give these same Minnesotans the choice to buy quality coverage at prices estimated to be 28 percent less than other commercial health plans.

 

Every family in Minnesota deserves access to quality, affordable healthcare. I’m committed to ensuring that’s a reality for everyone in our community and state.

 

 

One of the most surprising things I learned about last session was Minnesota’s law regarding trapping on private land. Currently, trappers are not required to obtain permission before setting traps on private property. Additionally, a property owner can only prohibit trapping access on their land by complying with very specific “no trespassing” sign requirements; if signs are missing or are not seen, traps can still be set legally. Worse, private property owners can be held liable for injuries that occur on their property from traps that were set by other people. I do not believe the burden should rest on property owners to keep traps off their land. A bill with bi-partisan support requiring trappers to get express permission to set traps on private property has passed through the Senate and is awaiting a vote in the House. I will support H.F. 1924 should it come to floor and look forward to the opportunity to vote on this bill.

 

 

Due to the impending snow, Coffee and Conversations is cancelled on Saturday. Coffee and Conversations will resume next weekend, same place same time: Dunn Brothers Coffee in Apple Valley off of Galaxie Ave.

 

As always, please continue to reach out to me with any issues, questions or concerns you have. It’s an honor to represent you in the Legislature.

 

Warmly,

 

Erin