Dear Neighbors,
I hope this message finds you well and that you and your family have been able to keep warm during this spell of frigid temperatures and downright dangerous wind chills. Much is said about Minnesotans being a hearty bunch, but on top of that, I’ve been encouraged to see our community truly step up to take care of one another and make sure our neighbors and family members are safe. Here is an update from the Capitol.
Town Hall Meeting
I invite you to join Rep. Alice Hausman, Sen. John Marty and me for a Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, February 9 at Falcon Heights City Hall (2077 W Larpenteur Ave.). We will meet from 10:00-11:30 a.m. Everyone in the community is invited and the event is completely nonpartisan. Sen. Marty, Rep. Hausman and I are all deeply grateful to represent a district with such engaged, interested and involved constituents, and these meetings make up a huge part of this. I hope you can attend.
Gender-Based Violence
This week the House Public Safety Committee, of which I’m a member, considered a number of bills aimed at ending gender-based violence in the state. Recent media coverage, including a Star Tribune series, highlighted some serious shortcomings in our criminal justice system as it relates to investigating and prosecuting sexual assaults and other crimes. This has led to many victims and survivors not only experiencing trauma, but being denied justice.
Bills included would repeal the state’s marital rape exception, require all law enforcement agencies to have sexual assault investigation procedures, and create a task force to address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women endemic. As chair of the House Judiciary Committee, I look forward to further work on these initiatives.
Paid Family Leave
This week, the House Labor Committee advanced a measure creating a Paid Family and Medical Leave policy in the state of Minnesota. The bill allows for up to 12 weeks of medical leave with partial wage replacement, allowing parents to spend time with a newborn or family members to care for an ill loved one. Stories of folks who work without any meaningful paid leave are far too common, including those who essentially return to work immediately after giving birth. In a state like ours where we care about one another, this is unacceptable. Small business owners also shared their support, noting that some of them are currently unable to offer benefits like paid leave, putting them at a competitive disadvantage for employees with larger companies.
The program would be modeled after the state’s unemployment insurance program with premiums paid by both employees and employers. The United States is one of just a couple of industrialized nations not requiring such basic protections. We have a responsibility to ensure economic security for all Minnesota families and this bill would go a long way toward doing that.
I’m chief author of another measure which would help guarantee financial wellbeing: HF 11, to require earned sick and safe time throughout the state. I hope to have good news on this bill in the near future.
Please continue to contact me with your input and opinions on issues that matter to you. It’s an honor to serve you at the State Capitol.
Sincerely,
John Lesch
State Representative