Dear Neighbor,
Happy Valentine’s Day. We’re over a month into the 2019 legislation session and things have really started to pick up. Here’s an update of what’s been going on so far:
Committee Assignments
I’m honored to serve as Chair of the House Jobs and Economic Development Finance Division. This is a role I take very seriously, and I’ll do my best to advocate for all Minnesotans in this position. The other committees I serve on are:
- Commerce
- Energy and Climate Finance and Policy Division
- Greater Minnesota Jobs and Economic Development Finance Division
These committees are not only important to our community, but to the entire state, and I look forward to updating you on the work we’re doing in them. You can read more about these and other House committees here.
Wage Theft
The House DFL Majority released their “Top 10” bills early this session, which you can read more about here, and it includes legislation I authored on wage theft prevention and enforcement. The bill, HF 6, received its first hearing in the Labor committee last week, and the testimony we heard brought home the stakes at place when labor is not fairly compensated. In Minnesota alone, 39,000 employees were impacted by wage theft last year. Whether an employer is paying less than minimum wage, failing to sufficiently pay for overtime, requiring ‘off the clock’ labor, or simply withholding a paycheck, this bill helps secure an hour’s pay for an hour’s work. I’m happy to say the bill passed out of committee, and I’ll be sure to keep you updated on its progress.
You can read more about the bill and the advocates behind it here.
Rep. Mahoney and Majority Leader Winkler with Anti Wage Theft advocates
Restore the Vote
A growing trend that is passing in legislatures around the country is the restoration of voting rights to felons that have served their time in prison. Minnesota’s version of the bill, HF 40, just recently passed its first committee hurdle. It’s a bill I’m proud to co-author because it’s the right thing to do. This legislation would restore voting rights to individuals convicted of a felony once they have completed their term of incarceration, or have never been incarcerated. We should want all of our citizens to have a sense of agency, and to have their voice be heard, especially those reintegrating into society.
Helmets for Hardhats
Another bill that I’m proud to co-author this session is HF 119, which would help fund the Helmets to Hardhats program. Helmets to Hardhats is a program from the Construction Careers Foundation that focuses specifically on connecting active duty, reserve, and military veterans with construction careers. This piece of legislation is one of those great combos where it’s not only the smart thing to do, it’s the right thing to do, and I look forward to hearing it in the Jobs committee soon.
You can read more about Helmet to Hardhats here.
Stay In Touch
Thank you to everyone that came out to our Town Hall last night. I believe the work we do here at the legislature is at its best when we have input from the community, and I appreciated our conversations.
If you weren’t able to make it last night, I still want to hear from you. My new office is Room 365 in the State Office Building, and you can reach me at (651) 296-4277, or at rep.tim.mahoney@house.mn. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Tim Mahoney
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