Dear Neighbors,
I hope this finds you well. Committees are working hard and meeting into the evening to meet the first committee deadlinefor policy bills. This will help us narrow our focus as we work toward a timely adjournment on May 20. Below is an update from St. Paul:
Minnesota House Approves Equal Rights Amendment Bill
House DFLers last Thursday approved the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ballot question to let Minnesotans decide whether or not to give everyone full equality under our Constitution. It was a powerful, quiet debate on the Minnesota House floor. On some days the usual side conversations, chatter, and discussion stops to instead hear each other more deeply. It only happens when history is being made. This was one of those days. You can view my remarks on the House Floor here.
Great Start for All Minnesota Children Act Receives First Public Hearing
Minnesotans want their children to get a great start, and they want the same for their neighbors' children. House DFLers are committed to putting Minnesotans' values into action with legislation like House File 1 -- the Great Start for All Minnesota Children Act -- the very first of our top 10 priority bills. It makes new investments in early learning, child care, prenatal care, and home visiting, especially for low-income children from birth to age 3. Grants to support these efforts go toward creating evidence based home visiting programs that are culturally or ethnically targeted to the county, reservation or region.
HF 1 establishes the ‘Great Start Fund’ which expands early learning scholarships to all children ages from birth to three whose families have income less than or equal to 400% of the federal poverty level. It also contains funding to deliver scholarships to all eligible applications who meet the qualifications.
Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn is the chief author of HF 1, which received its first public hearing on Thursday. The Early Childhood Finance and Policy Division listened to public testimony about the bill, which will continue moving through the legislative process. More than 30 leading community organizations are standing with House DFLers to support this priority.
KSTP covered the March 7 hearing here.
House DFLers Take Action to Address Insulin Price Gouging
As a direct result of Minnesotans who are sharing painful personal stories, House DFLers are taking action to hold pharmaceutical corporations accountable for prescription drug price-gouging.
Nicole Smith-Holt and James Holt, Jr. of Richfield are the parents of Alec Smith. Alec died at age 26 because he could not afford to pay $1,300 for his monthly supply of insulin. Following Alec’s death in 2017, his parents courageously began telling their story to reporters, policymakers, and grassroots organizations in hopes of preventing the same tragedy from happening to anyone else.
Never again should anyone die because they cannot afford the insulin they need to survive. That’s why on March 5 DFLers on the Commerce Committee approved a comprehensive plan to address the skyrocketing cost of insulin, which includes theAlec Smith Emergency Insulin Act authored by Rep. Mike Howard of Richfield.
WCCO has a story here about the hearing and an #insulin4all rally that took place on the Capitol steps afterwards.
Constituent Visits
I’ve met with many great groups of advocates in St. Paul from our community. Some include youth serving on the Youth Climate Justice Summit, physician assistants, pediatricians and students. All brought unique and helpful perspectives on how we can move our community and state forward.
Looking Ahead
As mentioned above, we have a busy week. My following bills are all receiving public hearings throughout the week:
HF 2220: This bill creates a Minnesota Outdoor Recreation Office to support the outdoor recreation economy of our state, and works toward more equitable access to the outdoors.
HF 212: This bill is a great way for local governments to weigh in on how to best protect pollinators, as it allows cities the option to prohibit or regulate pesticide usage. I’m hopeful that the growing concern about the wellbeing of pollinators will help advance this legislation.
HF 2171: My legislation would establish a working group to examine links between health disparities and education achievement for children from American Indian communities and communities of color. We have many gaps in Minnesota that fall along racial and cultural lines. This bill challenges us to look outside policy silos to where those areas intersect.
HF 1504: The bipartisan bill focuses on delivering youth skills training and supporting students and schools by connecting them to practical experiences exploring health care, automotive and manufacturing jobs. This successful program meets the needs and interests of high school students and engages businesses in developing the next workforce that they need.
Keep in Touch
Please stay in touch with questions, comments or ideas. I value your input and appreciate your feedback.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Jim Davnie
State Representative