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Dear Neighbors,
The Legislature gaveled in yesterday for our second special session of the year. The House DFL remains committed to completing unfinished business from the regular session — including responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and safeguarding the health and well-being of Minnesotans, enacting meaningful legislation on racial justice and police accountability, passing a jobs & local projects or “bonding” bill, and rebuilding our Twin Cities communities that suffered property damage during civil unrest by passing the PROMISE Act.
The Minnesota Senate has adjourned temporarily until next week. The House goes back in today at 5:00 p.m. and we’ll continue our work with the other body to find common ground on the important issues Minnesotans are asking us to address.
Select Committee on Pandemic Response & Rebuilding
Since the onset of COVID, the Minnesota House DFL has not stopped working to find solutions that protect our families’ health and economic well-being. After the regular session adjourned at the end of May, House Speaker Hortman developed a subcommittee on Minnesota’s Pandemic Response and Rebuilding. The committee has met over the summer to discuss nurses’ concerns around personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, our state’s unemployment rate and relief mechanisms, and most recently, to hear from Andy Slavitt, former Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) & United States of Care Board Chair, and one of the 10 most influential and prominent health care leaders in the United States.
You can learn more about the select committee from the nonpartisan House Public Information Services here.
Back to School Survey Results
With still so much uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic, the House Education Committees recently discussed what school could look like in the fall – whether K-12 schools will fully reopen, if distance learning will continue, or if some sort of a hybrid will be introduced. Minnesota school districts are trying to plan for all three scenarios.
The Minnesota Department of Education last week released the results of a survey asking Minnesota families about their experience with distance learning and their thoughts on the upcoming school year. They received over 130,000 responses, which showed that 64% of respondents selected that they would feel comfortable sending their students back to school. The results also showed significant concerns for public health remain. This is a good sampling of the struggles many students and families have encountered with distance learning- and how inequities are significantly exacerbated.
A decision on the upcoming school year is expected to be announced later this month.
My Last Update
This is my last update until after the election. Whether running or not, legislators cannot use state resources for unsolicited communications during an election period because it might create an unfair advantage. While I won’t be able to send out these updates for a while, you can still follow me on my legislative Facebook page. I’m still available to meet via telephone, help with state level problems, and discuss issues important to our community. Feel free to give my office a call at 651-296-5510 or email me anytime at rep.connie.bernardy@house.mn.
It’s an honor to serve our Fridley, New Brighton, and Spring Lake Park families, residents, and communities at the state legislature. I am so proud to have grown up here.
Sincerely,
Connie Bernardy
State Representative
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