Dear Neighbors,
We’re wrapping up our first full week of the legislative session. While the legislature is operating mostly remotely, technology enables us to have a full schedule of committee hearings throughout the week. You can watch meetings – both live and archived - on the House’s YouTube channel, and many of them are broadcast on the Minnesota Channel as well.
Virtual Town Hall
You’re invited to join Rep. Liz Olson, our new Senator Jen McEwen, and me for a Virtual Town Hall meeting on Saturday, January 23 at 10 a.m. We will meet on Zoom (meeting ID: 943 2687 8456, password 033502). If you prefer to join by phone, call 312-626-6799 at the meeting time, and enter the ID and password when prompted. I also plan to livestream the meeting on my Facebook page. To submit a question, email it along with your name and address to Lyndsey.Hanson@house.mn with “Town Hall Question” in the subject line.
This is a nonpartisan event and everyone in the community is welcome. While I wish we could meet in person to discuss issues important to folks, unfortunately, that’s not possible right now. Nevertheless, we value hearing from our Duluth neighbors and hope you will be able to join us.
House DFL Legislative Priorities
With vaccines being distributed, we’re hopefully closing the chapter on the COVID-19 pandemic soon. We aren’t yet there though, and the health and safety of Minnesotans remain at risk, not to mention the economic hardship this crisis has brought with it for workers, families, and businesses.
This week, House DFLers announced our first priorities for the 2021 legislative session. They focus on addressing the most urgent needs facing Minnesotans in the areas of economic security, worker protections, health care and human services, education, and child care. By no means does this package represent all we’re working to accomplish this session, but they are solutions to help Minnesotans who are still struggling as a result of COVID-19, and to help us all build back better out of the pandemic. You can read more about the proposals here.
I’ve also introduced legislation to expand eligibility and access to MinnesotaCare which would create a new, affordable option for Minnesotans to purchase health insurance. Here’s a column I recently wrote for the Minnesota Reformer outlining our health care crisis, along with some steps we should take to help make care accessible and affordable for all Minnesotans.
COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard
This week, the state of Minnesota launched a new dashboard to detail the progress of the COVID-19 vaccine across Minnesota. The dashboard shares data in a visual and user-friendly format, including the number of vaccine doses allocated to the state by the federal government, the number shipped to Minnesota providers, and the number ultimately administered to Minnesotans. The dashboard will be updated daily at 11 a.m.
Unfortunately, the supply is extremely limited right now. It appears federal officials have over-promised and under-delivered, directing states to open the vaccine up to more categories of people when the doses simply aren’t there. We all hope production of the vaccine will eventually accelerate, along with the federal government providing Minnesota more doses soon.
St. Louis County: Seeking Volunteers
I’ve heard a desire from several community members to see events like mass vaccination clinics, much like we have with COVID-19 testing now. When the supplies are available, I hope we can quickly move in this direction.
In preparation for the vaccine being more widely available though, St. Louis County Public Health is seeking volunteers to assist at vaccination clinics. The County is looking for both Minnesota Board-certified nurses to assist with administering vaccinations, as well as other volunteers for roles ranging from helping with registration to traffic control. Basic computer skills are requested. To sign up, visit Minnesota Responds.
Please continue to stay in touch with your viewpoints, ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance. Thank you for the honor to serve at the State Capitol.
Sincerely,
Jen Schultz
State Representative