Dear Neighbors,

This was an eventful week at the State Capitol as we continue our work to help Minnesotans move beyond the COVID-19 crisis, while best positioning our communities to succeed over the long-term. Last night, the House approved a pair of bills to provide Minnesotans some flexibility during the pandemic. The first extends to May 31 the waiver allowing Minnesotans to apply for a marriage license online instead of requiring an in-person visit. We also approved legislation to effectively keep the same Unemployment Insurance experience ratings for employers in 2021 that they had in 2020. Without this fix, because of the numerous layoffs that occurred due to the pandemic, many businesses would face significant increases in their Unemployment Insurance taxes.

Here’s an update on some other work from this week.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

In 2019, lawmakers created a task force investigating the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women endemic. The task force was charged with helping the state better understand the causes of violence against Indigenous women and to develop recommendations to reduce and prevent violence where it is happening. The group included members of the Indigenous community, law enforcement, policymakers and the public.

The final report from the task force offered a number of findings and recommendations, and on Tuesday, I chaired a hearing of the House Public Safety Committee where we reviewed them. The legislation to create the task force was bipartisan, and now, we must similarly work together to take what we’ve learned from these recommendations and develop the programming, training, awareness, and other critical solutions to ensure Indigenous women and girls can live with the human rights and dignity they deserve. This issue shows that no matter where you live, whether in Greater Minnesota or the Twin Cities, your safety is the whole state’s concern.

U-Visa Certification Legislation

Also on Tuesday, our committee approved legislation from a new member of the committee, Representative Sandra Feist of New Brighton, to protect survivors of domestic violence and other gender-based crimes. The U nonimmigrant status (U visa) was established in 2000 as a key tool for law enforcement in the detection, investigation, or prosecution of certain serious criminal activity, often domestic violence. The process involves a “U visa certification” by law enforcement, verifying cooperation by the victim in its investigation or prosecution.

This bill requires law enforcement agencies to timely process a specific immigration-related request from victims of certain crimes who are foreign nationals. These victims are required to provide a certificate from law enforcement identifying them as crime victims to federal immigration authorities to support their request to remain in the United States under a U-visa.

All Minnesotans deserve to be safe and to receive justice, regardless of their immigration status. This bill is a reflection of our state’s commitment to advocate for those who have experienced trauma.

Governor’s Budget

Governor Walz has announced his two-year budget proposal, aiming to help Minnesotans recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Its key focuses include supporting small businesses and driving our economic recovery, ensuring students can catch up on learning opportunities lost over the past year, and supporting working families struggling during this crisis.

Every Minnesotan deserves the tools they need to weather this pandemic, and once it’s over, succeed and thrive. This proposal from Governor Walz is a great starting point as we work together to build back better for every family, every small business, every student, and every Minnesotan.

A New Affordable Health Care Option

Minnesota families, local communities, and our state’s economy are all stronger when everyone has the health care they need. This week, my House DFL colleagues joined small business owners, health care experts, and faith leaders, to unveil the MinnesotaCare Public Option. This legislation would allow Minnesotans to enroll in MinnesotaCare – a bipartisan solution created in 1992 to provide health care for low-income Minnesotans – and take advantage of lower out-of-pocket costs and access to a strong network of providers. Under this proposal, Minnesotans beyond the current income guidelines could enroll in the program, paying premiums on a sliding, income-based scale as an alternative to other plans with high deductibles and narrow provider networks.

Minnesotans continue to face significant difficulties with high health care costs, and the threat of COVID-19 has only added to these challenges. The MinnesotaCare Public Option is a solution for this pivotal moment to ensure everyone can count on the care they need, no exceptions. This expansion would help Minnesota lead the way to true universal coverage. A fact sheet is available here.

Protections for Meatpackers

Workers in meatpacking and poultry processing plants work in intense, often dangerous environments. They face numerous health and safety concerns, which COVID-19 has made worse. Many of them are members of our immigrant communities.

This week, we introduced legislation to offer comprehensive protections for these essential workers. It requires employers to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) at no cost to employees; allow meat and poultry processing workers adequate break time to sanitize and wash hands; routinely clean and disinfect all frequently touched surfaces, workstations, and training rooms; and provide paid leave to all meat and poultry processing workers to recuperate from an illness, injury, or to care for an ill family member. 

In 2007, we enacted the Packinghouse Workers Bill of Rights which requires employers to provide meatpacking workers with information about their rights as workers and adequate safety equipment. This new legislation goes a step further by creating a brand new “Workers’ Rights Coordinator'' position housed within the Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) dedicated to enforcement and compliance. This bill addresses timely problems workers are facing now due to the pandemic, and helps ensure health, safety, and dignity in the workplace both now and in the future.

Please continue to be in touch with your ideas, viewpoints, or if I can ever be of assistance. You can reach me by email at rep.carlos.mariani@house.mn, and my Capitol phone number is 651-224-6647. I also invite you to follow me on Facebook. If you have neighbors, coworkers, or friends who you think would be interested in receiving these updates, share this with them and encourage them to subscribe here.

It’s an honor to represent you.

Sincerely,

Carlos Mariani
State Representative