Legislative Update- January 21, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

This week, we celebrated a new, historic chapter for our country with the swearing-in of President Biden and Vice President Harris. This passage from “The Hill We Climb,” a poem delivered by our National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman during the inaugural ceremony, is inspiring as we move forward. 

"We will rebuild, reconcile and recover
and every known nook of our nation and
every corner called our country,
our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,
battered and beautiful
When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we're brave enough to see it
If only we're brave enough to be it."

- Amanda Gorman

Here's an update from our State Capitol:

Higher Education Committee Listens to Students' Experiences & Concerns

In my role as the chair of the House Higher Education Finance and Policy, I’ve been committed to do all we can for our college and trades skills students. This week, our committee heard compelling testimony from students across the state about the difficulties they are facing amid the pandemic. We also heard about how current support services, like access to mental health resources, are essential in their post-secondary experience. You can follow our committee work here.

COVID-19 Support Legislation

Last week, my colleagues and I announced our first priorities for the 2021 session. We are focused on meeting the immediate needs of Minnesotans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our legislative package focuses on economic security, worker protections, health care, education, and child care. Here is a look at the initial bills we’ve introduced:

Economic Security - HF 1

• Housing assistance and homelessness prevention
• Emergency cash payments to families most in need
• Food security 
• Broadband expansion

Worker Protections - HF 2

• Emergency paid sick leave for health care workers
• Workers’ compensation for school employees who contract COVID-19 
• Getting hospitality workers back to work
• Expanding unemployment insurance to those collecting social security

Health Care and Human Services - HF 3

• Testing, vaccination, and staffing support for long-term care 
• Addressing health-related needs of those without shelter  

Education - HF 4

• Wrap-around student supports 
• Investments to address learning loss and opportunity gaps 
• Funding stabilization to address temporarily decreased enrollment

Child Care - HF 5

• Child care provider grants
• Wait list reduction