When it comes to properly compensating people who selflessly work for our disabled residents, Minnesota has dropped the ball.
Caregivers who choose this line of work do so not to become rich; they simply love what they do and the people they help. However, this does not mean that we should expect them to be satisfied with consistently low salaries.
This is an essential, yet often thankless profession that has gone unrewarded for far too long. 2013 marked the fifth year in a row that services for the disabled did not receive rate increases to keep up with rising costs. It’s time to right this wrong.
With Minnesota now seeking ways to allocate a $1.2 billion budget surplus, I am fully supporting ‘The 5% Campaign,’ which would provide a five percent rate increase for those who care for Minnesota’s most vulnerable residents.
How did we get to this point? Years of continued state budget deficits forced the industry to accept budget freezes if not outright cuts. Admittedly, these occurred during times of Democratic and Republican legislative majorities, so both parties can accept their share of the blame. In hindsight, the high staff turnover result should have been expected. Those who did choose to stick around often had to find a second job in order to pay their bills.
We currently have a $1 billion budget surplus projected for the remainder of the 2014-15 biennium and also a $2.6 billion windfall for the 2016-17 biennium. There is no reason for lawmakers to play games with their salaries and give these folks anything less than a 5 percent funding increase.
Let’s not forget that when you lose highly-skilled employees from the workforce, quality suffers. A five percent increase will not only help retain current staffers that are helping residents who cannot care for themselves, but may also entice others to join the industry and make a difference. This would also show employees that the legislature not only values, but prioritizes their commitment.
Long-term care providers are some of the largest employers in rural Minnesota, so it’s important that we have quality care, and quality employees, in place.
The good news is that the 5% Campaign has solid bipartisan support. Even better news is that legislative leadership has now agreed to fully allocate a five percent funding increase. The bad news is that legislative leadership has chosen to include the proposal in a 436 page spending bill that covers new finance and spending decisions from nearly every area within state government.
I was truly excited to give a positive update on this bill to my constituents. Make no mistake, I believe in this legislation and it is very much needed. But it is so disappointing to once again see politics at work. Instead of giving this proposal a straight up or down vote, it has now been bundled into what some have called a “garbage bill” that includes a $400 million bailout of MNsure - which is Minnesota’s version of Obamacare - and another $10 million for Metro Area rapid transit.
Overall the bill increases state spending by more than $300 million for the rest of this biennium and by nearly $1 billion in 2016-17. Vote for the proposal, and you’re supportive of these controversial items. Vote against it, and you can ultimately be labeled as a non-supporter of the 5% Campaign.
The campaign itself is just good common sense. In all, nearly 91,000 caregivers and staff would finally receive long overdue, needed compensation increases. These folks will then turn around and spend this money on goods and services in their towns, while the State of Minnesota will benefit through increased income sales tax collections on their purchases. It’s a true win-win situation. It’s just unfortunate that politics was forced to get in the way of very good policy.