Dear Neighbors,
The Minnesota Legislature went into a special session on June 12, 2020. The Minnesota House of Representatives voted to continue the emergency measures for one more month. Right away we passed a few important bills that were left over from the regular session. Bonding and public safety reform will be the dominant issues. The agenda and time frame are fairly fluid at this time, this is highly unusual for a special session.
Assistance for Small Business
The first bill we approved will create a $62.5 million fund for small business grants. Businesses with 50 or fewer employees can receive grants up to $10,000 each. This is a massively important bill that will provide our local businesses with the assistance they need to continue on during these difficult times. Of the $62.5 million total, there are several carve-outs:
- $18 million for micro-businesses with six or fewer full-time employees,
- $10 million for minority-owned businesses,
- $2.5 million for women-owned businesses,
- $2.5 million for veteran-owned businesses, and
- $2.5 million for ethnic malls with at least 25 vendors (e.g. Hmong Village, Somali Karmel Mall). Individual grants can be up to $250,000 for each mall owner and must be used primarily for rent forgiveness for mall vendors.
House Public Safety Committee Hears POCI Caucus Police Reform Bills
The House Public Safety Committee held a seven-hour meeting on Saturday. Most of that time they were listening to some very powerful stories and requests. You can watch the full hearing here. These are the reforms the House DFL is hoping to pass during this session:
- Use of Force
- Reform of the keystone statute that defines when law enforcement is justified in using deadly force to prioritize sanctity of life. This measure is a recommendation from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety/Attorney General Working Group.
- Alternatives to Policing
- Creates new models of ensuring public safety by: 1) Creating a new office within DPS to administer grants to community-based violence-intervenors and problem solvers to intercept violence and reduce interactions with law enforcement, and 2) Providing funding for a co-responder form of policing that pairs officers with social worker when responding to crisis calls and welfare checks. This measure is a recommendation from the MN Department of Public Safety/Attorney General Working Group. ?
- Police Oversight Reform?
- Creates a robust framework of accountability of the law enforcement profession through: 1) Expansion of the Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) board and creation of a Police-Community Relations Council at the POST Board, 2) Reforming how arbitrations of the termination of law enforcement officers are handled, and 3) Requiring robust, real-time data collection and analysis of complaint, discipline and use of force data and use it to inform reforms at the POST Board, particularly as it relates to licensure decisions.
- Voting Restoration
- Ends the disenfranchisement of over 50,000 Minnesotans. Those who are not serving a sentence in a prison facility – who are in their communities and contributing to their families and rebuilding their lives – must be provided their right to vote, regardless of supervision status. ?
- Community Healing
- Creates a grant program to fund professional community healers trained to respond to systemic oppression-induced historic and present-day trauma through supportive services. This measure is a recommendation from the DPS/AG Working Group.
- Independent Prosecution and Investigation Reform
- Provides the AG with independent jurisdiction for the prosecution of police-involved deaths and creates an independent investigation unit within the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for police-involved cases. This measure is a recommendation from the DPS/AG Working Group.
- Training Expansion
- Expands training in de-escalation and mental health crisis intervention. This measure is a recommendation from the DPS/AG Working Group.
- Warrior Training and Choke Holds Prohibited
- Prohibits the use of all restraints or holds by law enforcement that purposely restrict a person’s airways or blood flow and ends the use of warrior-style training.
Transportation Tour
Last week, the House Transportation Committee toured portions of two prospective bus routes. One was the METRO D Line, a bus rapid transit line that will run between the Brooklyn Center Transit Center and the Mall of America. This will service the Route 5 Corridor, one of the busiest in the Twin Cities. The other is the METRO B Line that goes from the Union Depot in St. Paul to West Lake Street, this will service the Route 21 Corridor. This is Metro Transit’s second busiest route. During the tour, we did get to see some of the areas that were damaged during the protests.
House DFL PROMISE ACT
As a result of our tour, similar visits throughout the metro, and community conversations, the House DFL has developed the PROMISE Act to provide immediate assistance in rebuilding in an equitable and community-led manner. We need to take action now and support our communities before it is too late. You can watch our press conference on this legislation here. The legislation would:
- Create a special panel to review cases and provide direct compensation to impacted individuals.
- Partner with cities and community organizations to create economic relief programs for impacted businesses and organizations.
- Give local units of government flexibility and tools to prevent gentrification.
- Direct the Minnesota Department of Commerce to assist business owners, and require insurance companies to notify the department of any rejected claims.
- Help with the rising cost of leases for eligible residential and commercial properties.
- Eliminate the sales tax on the purchase of construction materials used to rebuild damaged or destroyed properties.
- Provide property and sales tax cuts for eligible properties.
- Establish a “Metropolitan Area Redevelopment Corporation” to create a long-term plan for equity-driven redevelopment and transformation.
Stay in Touch
Please feel free to reach out to me by email at rep.sandra.masin@house.mn or by phone at 651-296-3533. If you have a friend, neighbor, or relative who wants to receive updates about the Legislature, let them know they can subscribe to my email list here. You can also follow me on Facebook here. It’s an honor to represent our community. Please stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Sandra Masin
State Representative