Dear Neighbor,
As I serve as your representative at the State Capitol, one of the primary drivers for me is to make sure everyone is treated fairly and has a chance to get ahead. It’s for that reason that I introduced legislation to raise the states estate tax threshold to bring it in line with the federal government’s base of $5 million. While people who have made a great deal of money in their lives deserve to pass most of that along to their heirs without penalty, it’s also important people have an opportunity to become that wealthy.
Our economy is growing, we’ve seen record unemployment and budget forecasts, but too many hard working residents of the district are still having a hard time getting ahead. To address some of the employment policies that create barriers to get ahead, legislators unveiled the Working Parents Act. The Working Parents Act is a legislative package aimed at providing greater opportunity and economic security to millions of Minnesotans.
The Working Parents Act includes five legislative proposals:
Earned Sick and Safe Time: Over 1 million working Minnesotans lack access to paid sick time. The Working Parents Act would guarantee Minnesota workers have access to earned sick and safe time to care for themselves, a sick child, or a loved one, or to seek services due to domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault.
Paid Family Leave: Only 13% of Minnesotans have access to paid family leave, meaning workers are often forced to choose between their families and their jobs. The Working Parents Act would create an insurance program to provide all Minnesota employees with a percentage of their wages for up to 6 weeks so they can afford to take time off to bond with a new child, care for an elder or seriously-ill family member, or deal with pregnancy-related health concerns.
Putting a Stop to Wage Theft: Wage theft occurs when workers who are denied overtime pay, refused pay for hours worked, or paid less than the minimum wage. The Working Parents Act would crack down on wage theft by increasing penalties for wage theft, extending the statute of limitations on all wage theft to 6 years, and protecting workers from employer retaliation.
Scheduling Fairness and Flexibility: Many Minnesota workers lack a predictable work schedule which can affect economic security and stability for families. The Working Parents Act would ensure more predictability in scheduling for workers, limit last-minute or on-call shifts, and protect workers from employer retaliation.
Tip Fairness for Servers: Several Minnesota restaurants in recent years have deducted the cost of credit and debit card transaction fees from servers’ tips. The Working Parents Act would prohibit businesses from deducting credit card processing fees from tips that are earned by servers and make sure that tips given by a customer go into the pockets of hardworking Minnesotans.
These are measures that will make a real difference in the lives of hardworking Minnesotans, many of whom are working hard to provide and care for themselves and their families. I’m hopeful that we can make progress on these issues.
I’m confident that we can make Minnesota’s economy work for everyone, from those who have benefited greatly and those who deserve a fair shake.
As always, please feel free to contact me with any thoughts, concerns or comments you have. In addition to e-mail, I can be reached at 651-296-4277.
Sincerely,
Peter Fischer