Legislative Update – May 6, 2022

Dear Neighbors,

We depend on frontline workers every day, and their dedication during the pandemic’s darkest days was invaluable to keeping our state moving forward, even while they faced increased exposure to COVID. Last week, the House and Senate reached a bipartisan agreement on a bill to deliver $500 million worth of bonus payments to frontline workers. Governor Walz quickly signed this bipartisan compromise, and frontline workers can visit frontlinepay.mn.gov to subscribe to important updates. Once the application process opens – a few weeks from now – workers will have 45 days to apply. A full FAQ document, including eligibility information, is available here.

Improving Health Care Access and Lowering Costs

Earlier this week, the House passed our Health and Human Services finance bill. The proposal delivers bold investments to address the high health care costs Minnesotans are facing, including my proposal for a MinnesotaCare Buy-In option, actions to lower prescription drug prices, a cap on copays for life-saving medications like insulin, elimination of cost barriers for people in public health insurance programs and more.

Once again, the HHS bill makes historic investments in services that help people every day—older adults who prefer to stay in their homes, rather than enter a nursing facility; people with disabilities who wish to live independently with services; and caring professionals who devote their lives providing services to those who rely on them to survive. We’re investing resources into addressing the health care workforce shortage—increasing wages for personal care assistants, funding for training to increase the health care workforce pipeline, and creating a workforce incentive fund for employee retention.

When we care for one another, when we care for our community—our family, friends, and neighbors—we all do better. This HHS bill makes these investments—it invests in people. A fact sheet with more details about what’s in the bill is available here.

Addressing Costs for Minnesotans

Wednesday, the House approved our Tax bill with a package of new tax credits and rebates to help Minnesotans who are struggling with rising costs. The majority of the benefits in the legislation will directly help families with young children, senior citizens living on fixed incomes, and people with student loan debt.

As our economy recovers from the pandemic, too many Minnesotans aren’t keeping pace with the profits large corporations continue to make and are struggling to make ends meet, confronting rising costs every day, including their rent and mortgage, health care, energy, food and more. House DFLers are meeting this moment by leveling the playing field, delivering solutions workers, families, and older Minnesotans are counting on. A fact sheet about the bill is available here.

Improving Opportunities for Workers

Also on Wednesday, the House also passed a Workforce and Labor bill to deliver resources to working Minnesotans, fund training and workforce development, invest in struggling small businesses and economic corridors throughout the state, and keep workers safe on the job. It includes House DFLers’ Paid Family & Medical Leave and Earned Sick & Safe Time legislation, expands unemployment insurance to hourly school workers, creates new child care opportunities, expands prevailing wage enforcement and much more.

The bill also included my proposal to limit non-compete employment agreements. The agreements restrict an employee’s ability to work when they leave an employer, often harming low- and middle-income workers, resulting in lower wages, less worker mobility, and less innovation and entrepreneurship. All Minnesotans deserve economic security, including good jobs, with fair pay and benefits, truly valuing their contributions. A fact sheet about the bill is available here.

Woodland Avenue Construction

St. Louis County Public Works is hosting a virtual public meeting Thursday, May 12, from 6-8 p.m about the Woodland Avenue construction project between Snively Road and Anoka Street. The Scheduled work includes repaving, new curbs and gutters, conversion from four lanes to three lanes with bike lanes, plus safety improvements for motorists and pedestrians. More information about the meeting and about the project is available here.

Please continue to stay in touch with your viewpoints, ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance. Thank you for the honor of working as your public servant.

Sincerely,

Jen Schultz
State Representative