SAINT PAUL, Minn. –The 2021 Legislative Session adjourned on Wednesday with historic investments in Minnesota priorities. Rep. Alice Hausman (DFL- Saint Paul) released this statement:
“COVID-19 upended our lives in ways we could not have imagined at the beginning of 2020. Every budget year is important, but this year was even more critical as we had to consider so many pandemic-related factors. We crafted a budget focusing on those who suffered the most during the last several months and aims to help students, families, businesses, and workers. We passed a negotiated budget that invests in a bright future for everyone.”
House Democrats fought for many of the investments included in the budget, including:
- A historic increase in funding for public schools and preservation of all day pre-K for 4,000 preschoolers
- Financial support for frontline workers who sacrificed their health to keep all of us safe during the pandemic
- Investments in access to affordable childcare for families and increased funding for providers
- Rental assistance for tenants and landlords and expanded access to affordable housing
- Tax cuts for workers and small businesses impacted by the pandemic
- Investments to improve public health and reduce racial disparities in health care
- State aid for small businesses damaged during last year’s civil unrest
- Investments in transit, roads, bridges, and rail
- Substantial reforms to sexual assault laws to bring justice to survivors
- Measures to reform policing and increase accountability
- Investments in solar panels for schools and higher education institutions around the state
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