Dear Neighbors,
I hope you’re staying warm and enjoying the snow during our record-breaking month of February. The pace of activity is picking up at the Capitol; we are hearing from hundreds of Minnesotans across the state on these various proposals. I am immensely proud to represent our engaged and active community in St. Paul.
Understandably, not everyone is able to travel to the Capitol to advocate for legislation that impacts them and their families. That’s why I am so pleased the House DFL Majority is prioritizing bringing the Capitol to Minnesota. We are holding a variety of ‘field hearings’ outside of the Capitol to allow more Minnesotans to participate in the law-making process and shape what their state government looks like. The House Transportation, Education Finance, Environment and Health and Human Services Committees have already traveled across the state to listen to local challenges, and how the Legislature can deliver support to achieve a successful and prosperous “One Minnesota”. You can see Chair Youakim and I discuss this briefly here.
Governor Walz’s State Budget Plan
Governor Walz released his two-year state budget last Tuesday, which he calls a “Budget for One Minnesota.” The budget makes historic investments in education, prioritizes health care, and focuses on community prosperity. You can read more about the budget planhere.
Save the Boundary Waters
I hosted a lunch conversation for legislators and staff with the Harvard Professor James Stock who conducted a 2018 economic outcome study on northern Minnesota’s natural resources preservation versus Twin Metals copper-nickel mining. In short, he found greater economic benefit in natural resource preservation. You can read more about his findings related to the environmental and economic dangers of copper-nickel mining here.
Drivers Licenses for All
Last Thursday, legislators, advocates, representatives from the business community and law enforcement held a press conference to kick off the 2019 legislative push for driver’s licenses for all. All Minnesotans want and deserve to be able to work, live and take care of their families. This is an issue of human rights and public safety.
Protecting Minnesotans from Predatory Lending
Today, the House Commerce Committee will discuss my bipartisan legislation to regulate predatory payday lending. I will present HF 1501, which would cap the interest rate and annual fee on payday loans at 36%. According to payday lending statistics in Minnesota from the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition, fees charged equate to annual interest percentage rates of over 300%. Sixteen states, including South Dakota, and the District of Columbia already have a 36% rate cap payday loan regulation in law. Chair Laurie Halverson (DFL-Eagan) is also a sponsor of the bill. Minnesota Attorney General Ellison is supportive.
While marketed as a short term fix for financial emergencies, in Minnesota and nationally many payday borrowers get trapped in a debt cycle taking out as many as tens loans a year. In fact, that debt trap is baked into the lenders’ business model. That debt cycle extracts hundreds of dollars or more out of low income working families and collectively, millions are of low income communities and disproportionally communities of color.
I’m pleased with the broad coalition of supporters for this bill include Lutheran Social Services, the Alliance for Black Economic Power, Prepare +Prosper, and the Minneapolis Area Squad of the ELCA.
Minnesotans deserve an opportunity to experience economic prosperity; payday loan institutions should not profit at the expense of vulnerable, low-income Minnesotans who feel these short term gimmicks are their only option.
Gun Violence Prevention Hearing
Minnesotans have been loud and clear that they want their legislators to address the epidemic of gun violence in our communities, schools, businesses and other public spaces. In response to the overwhelming support of background checks and red flag proposals, the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy Committee scheduled a public hearing at a suburban school to improve accessibility and encourage greater public participation. These efforts were thwarted after gun advocates objected and pushed the hearing to be located at the Capitol. Although I’m disappointed in the House Republicans’ pressure to disengage with the public via means of location change, I’m glad House DFLers are having a public hearing in response to what the vast majority of Minnesotans are asking for: common sense gun violence prevention measures to keep us all safe.
Tomorrow night, the committee will discuss two bills aimed at combatting gun violence in Minnesota. HF 8 would require universal criminal background checks, and HF 9, coined as the ‘red flag’ bill, would enact extreme risk protection orders to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.
The committee will hear these bills at 7:00 p.m. in Capitol Room 120 and will be ticketed on site for entry due to the anticipated amount of Minnesotans in opposition and support.
Anyone interested in testifying can sign up with the committee via email atHF8andHF9Testimony@house.mn or via phone at 651-296-1478.
Keep in Touch
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns. You can reach me at the Capitol at 651-296- 0173 or via email atrep.jim.davnie@house.mn.
It’s an honor to represent you in St. Paul!
Sincerely,
Jim Davnie
State Representative