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Dear Neighbor,
There are just over three weeks left in the legislative session and budget and tax bills have emerged from the House Majority. Despite the short time left in session, they’ve yet to bring forth a bonding bill to fund important infrastructure improvements. Regrettably, gun violence prevention legislation is still stalled. Here are some other updates from the Capitol.
Education Bill
Yesterday we discussed the combined E-12 and Higher Education budget bill. I know folks in our community value our state’s great schools and want to make sure their kids can have a better future through education. The bill failed to continue voluntary Pre-K programs for our youngest learners after next school year. There are four-year-olds taking advantage of this important opportunity now, but unfortunately, their younger siblings may not have this available. The bill also underfunds public universities, which will result in tuition increases and program cuts, meaning young people and their families will need to take on more unsustainable debt to acquire a degree.
All Minnesota kids deserve a world-class education and the opportunity to succeed, and this bill could have been much better to ensure this is a reality. I’ll continue to advocate for the learners in our community and in our state.
Preventing Sexual Harassment
Last night, on a unanimous vote, the House Civil Law Committee advanced a bill to prevent sexual harassment in our state. The measure would eliminate the need for alleged misconduct to be “severe or pervasive” to move forward in court. It could be one of the biggest changes to deliver justice for victims of sexual harassment we’ve seen in 30 years. The “severe or pervasive” standard has meant that in many instances, judges have dismissed cases brought forth by employees who have experienced sexual harassment, but didn’t meet this extremely high standard. This means no justice is ultimately delivered.
Predictably, representatives from big business organizations came to the committee lamenting the difficulty this bill would present them from a legal standpoint. While the days are slipping by in this session, I hope we can push back against special interest influence, and protect Minnesotans’ rights to work in safe, respectful environments free of unwanted, hostile behavior.
Protecting Clean Water
Last week, the House majority brought a bill to the floor to prevent proposed water quality protections from taking effect. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has drafted rules regarding nitrogen fertilizer use, and the bill stops them from moving forward unless the Legislature specifically authorizes them. In 1989, the Groundwater Protection Act was established allowing these rules, and it would be irresponsible for the Legislature to interfere.
Most farmers are already utilizing best practices regarding fertilizer use and are committed to being good stewards of our land. There are areas of our state, however, where waters are heavily impaired and reasonable guidelines for fertilizer application make sense. Thankfully, Gov. Dayton has indicated he would veto this bill if it makes its way to his desk. Ensuring future generations have safe drinking water is one of our most pressing responsibilities.
As part of this effort, I hope the Republican Majority comes forward with their bonding proposal soon. Gov. Dayton unveiled his recommendations before session started, with significant funding included toward our state’s aging wastewater infrastructure. I’ll continue to advocate for greater protections our drinking water.
Youth Climate Justice Summit
On another note concerning our environment, I got to meet with an awesome group of high school students from the district at the State Capitol for the Youth Climate Justice Summit. They brought forth a great message of the importance of investing in clean energy solutions, including expanding solar energy opportunities for school facilities, offering more credible science education with the inclusion of climate change, and holding polluters accountable.
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