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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Jack Considine Jr. (DFL)

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Legislative Update – February 28, 2020

Friday, February 28, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

This week I announced that my current term will be my last in the Minnesota House, and I will not seek reelection this fall. Serving in the Legislature and advocating for the values we all share as Minnesotans has been an incredible honor, but it’s time to move on and enjoy everything else life has to offer, including more time being a grandpa. I’m deeply grateful to community members in the Mankato area who’ve afforded me the chance to do rewarding work to improve the lives of Minnesotans both here at the Capitol for six years and previously on the Mankato City Council for 16 years.

It’s not quite “goodbye” yet though, and I’ll fulfill the rest of my term through next January. There’s still some important unfinished business I hope to solve, including increasing pay for home care workers. These dedicated angels help people with disabilities live fulfilling lives, and it’s shameful that in many cases, they earn poverty wages.

Members of the Minnesota State Patrol are dedicated public servants who deserve to be compensated fairly, but they earn about 12 percent less than police officers in the metro area. Data shows that the longer someone serves, the larger the disparity grows. I’m working to help eliminate this disparity to ensure we can continue to recruit, attract, and retain excellent state troopers.

I’m also working to deliver infrastructure improvements important to our region in a capital investment bonding bill, including the replacement of Armstrong Hall at MSU, the city of Mankato’s water quality mitigation project, and the second phase of the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center’s renovation.


Highway 14

After too many tragedies and years of advocacy from residents to finish Highway 14, it looks like we can finally see light at the end of the tunnel. I was incredibly proud this morning to join Gov. Tim Walz, MnDOT Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher, a bipartisan group of legislators, and local community leaders to announce a plan to finally update the 12 mile two-lane stretch from Nicollet to New Ulm.

The stretch has a fatal-crash rate twice as high as the rate of other rural two-lane highways. I’m proud of the folks in the area who have worked incredibly hard to deliver this funding. While this highway has for too long been associated with heartbreak, today, we have something to celebrate. I’m hopeful this funding can be release soon, and I look forward to work getting underway.


Making Insulin Accessible and Affordable

The price of insulin has tripled in the last decade. While pharmaceutical companies continue to make billions worth of profits, they can’t explain why a drug – the patent for which was originally sold for a dollar – has risen so high. As a result of the high cost, too many diabetics are rationing their insulin, which can lead to long-term complications and in several cases has been deadly. One such case is Alec Smith, a young man from Richfield who didn’t have the money in the bank to refill his insulin prescription. While he waited for his next paycheck, Alec tragically died. That this is even a possibility in a country as advanced as ours is categorically wrong.

Wednesday night, the Minnesota House approved the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act. Developed directly with Minnesotans with diabetes and their families, the bill creates a statewide insulin assistance program to help Minnesotans who struggle to afford the insulin they desperately need, both emergency situations like Alec’s and for those struggling to afford insulin long-term. People with diabetes in Minnesota don’t deserve to wait any longer for a solution.


Preventing Gun Violence

All Minnesotans deserve to be safe in their communities, whether they are at school, at work, while worshipping, while seeing a concert, while at the movies, or anywhere else. Unfortunately, there have been too many tragedies as a result of senseless gun violence. Last session, I was proud to support two common-sense initiatives in the Minnesota House: expanded criminal background checks and red flag laws, which would allow access to someone’s firearms to be temporarily restricted if they’re determined to be a danger to themselves or others. Unfortunately, the Senate, led by Republicans, wouldn’t even consider these bills in committee. These bills are broadly supported by Minnesotans across the political spectrum and even among gun owners. To not even discuss these lifesaving bills is a failure of leadership.

We aren’t giving up. Last night, the House approved both of these bills again, and I enthusiastically stood with Minnesotans who deserve to be safe by supporting them.


Ensuring Safety in Our Prisons

Following the tragic deaths of two correctional officers, last legislative session lawmakers delivered some critical investments to strengthen safety in Minnesota prisons. Our public safety budget increased funding for staffing and restored the position of Corrections Ombudsperson.

Our work isn’t over though, and this week, the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor released a comprehensive review of our state prisons showing the need for more significant improvements. The report identified staffing concerns – including excessive overtime, limited oversight, and outdated infrastructure, particularly at the Stillwater and St. Cloud facilities. Many of these problems result from limited data collected about violent events, staffing shortages, and discipline.

As the chair of the House Corrections Division, I’m committed to delivering the necessary investments so the people working in our correctional facilities can go home safe. You can watch a public hearing I co-chaired here where legislators discussed the report and recommendations.

Please continue to contact me with your input or if I can be of assistance. It’s an honor to represent you.

Sincerely,

Jack Considine
State Representative