Dear Neighbor,
On Wednesday, April 9, House Democrats voted to pass House File 826; in my view poorly titled, “Safe and Supportive Schools Act”; which later was signed into law by the Governor.
Since the introduction of HF 826 during the 2013 Legislative Session, I have had serious concerns about its negative impact on Minnesota children. This bill, rather than protecting all students, sets up special classes of students to be protected. I believe all students should be equally protected. I am also deeply concerned the anonymous reporting, allowed by this bill, will ultimately result in an increase of bullying. Another disturbing concern with this bill is the absence of a clear requirement for schools to notify parents when their child is accused of bullying or is a victim of bullying. Consequently, a child could receive psychological evaluation, treatment, or discipline without their parent's knowledge. Furthermore, a child could have an anonymous, unsubstantiated charge recorded in their permanent school record without their parent ever knowing. Having served as a director of a girl's club in South Minneapolis for over a decade, I have a firsthand understanding of how crucial parental involvement is to deal with bullying.
Over the last year since HF 826 was introduced, I have heard from numerous individuals opposed to this unnecessary and costly legislation. Parents and school administrators told me their current local policy to deal with bullying was working and they were worried about the unfunded cost of HF 826. (Local impact notes estimate a total unfunded cost to Minnesota school districts to be $20 to $25 million per year.)
As someone whose first language was Spanish and initially struggled in school when I first came to Minnesota, I personally know the anguish brought by bullying. Unfortunately, HF 826, with its troubling concerns, will most likely cause greater heartache for Minnesota students.
MINIMUM WAGE
On Thursday, April 10, House Democrats passed House File 2091, to increase the state minimum wage rate (please see the table below for the details of this labor cost increase). While I want everyone to have more take-home pay, I am deeply concerned this legislation will eliminate jobs for those who need them the most. In addition, the increased labor costs will unfortunately increase the price of basic necessities like food and clothes which will hit low-income workers the hardest since they have the least money to spend.
As always, please feel free to contact me at 651-296-4212, Rep.Pam.Myhra@house.mn or 217 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
Sincerely yours,
Pam
Representative Pam Myhra
House District 56A
• Minimum wage for large employers (gross sales over $500,000 annually) will be:
-
$8/hr effective August 1, 2014
-
$8.50/hr effective August 1, 2015
-
$9.50/hr effective August 1, 2016
• Minimum wage for small employers (gross sales under $500,000 annually) will be:
-
$6.50/hr effective August 1, 2014
-
$7.25/hr effective August 1, 2015
-
$7.75/hr effective August 1, 2016
• Large employers will be permitted to use the small employer rate for:
-
90 days training wage for 18-19 year olds
-
All 16-17 year old employees
-
Employees working under a non-immigrant visa
• Starting January 1, 2018 the minimum wage will increase based on the implicit price deflator with a cap of 2.5%.
• The Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Industry can suspend the inflationary increase if “leading indicators” show a “substantial” downturn in the economy. The increase can be reinstated in better economic times.
• There is no tiered wage provision.