Dear Neighbor,
This is the final weekend of the legislative session, and the final pages of this story seem all too familiar. No bills can be passed after midnight tomorrow and with just hours left, little progress on the important issues facing our state has been made. Frankly, Minnesotans deserve a great deal better than what Republican leadership is offering at this stage.
A tax bill to conform to recent federal changes due to the Trump tax law, and to keep taxes of hardworking Minnesotans from increasing, remains elusive. To this point, Republicans have insisted on putting benefits for corporations and the wealthy first. With the federal law making them such big winners already, any tax changes we do at the state level must instead benefit working families and seniors.
We’re also still waiting to see progress on the Emergency School Aid requested by Gov. Dayton. This proposal would deliver a one-time two percent increase to all school districts, many of which are facing massive budget deficits. Budget cuts, including those for our St. Paul Public Schools, mean teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, and fewer educational programming options. All of these lead to diminished outcomes for those who should matter most in this discussion: our students. To prove we truly value our tradition of excellent education, we have to fund schools at a level giving all children an opportunity to achieve.
Agreement on a capital investment bonding bill still must be reached, too. Earlier this week the House passed an $825 million proposal to improve our infrastructure, which fell far short of Gov. Dayton’s request of $1.5 billion. The Senate has yet to pass its version. We saw this week what happens when we fail to invest in infrastructure when a chunk of concrete fell on a vehicle in the RiverCentre parking ramp. This just as easily could have been a person instead of a car. I’ll be working to ensure we can pass a robust capital investment package which takes care of important infrastructure like this across Minnesota.
What’s most disappointing for me is that so many issues, which considering the bipartisan commitments to tackle them, have gone by the wayside. Lives continue to be lost due to our state’s opioid epidemic, yet Big Pharma has stopped a penny-a-pill fee to fund treatment efforts. Other tragedies take place due to distracted driving, yet despite little apparent opposition, hands-free cell phone legislation has stalled. Protections for seniors and vulnerable adults in care facilities remain lax, yet the only things to likely to pass addressing abuse and neglect will be a task force or two and some watered-down “solutions” straight from the industry.
Last fall, reports of sexual harassment emerged at the State Capitol and I joined other legislators in a bipartisan effort to change our policies to prevent it. Beyond the halls of government, there is also much more we can do to protect people in workplaces, both in the public and private sectors. To this end, a bipartisan bill was introduced to remove the outdated requirement that harassment must be “severe or pervasive” to give victims a chance at justice. Optimism for this change reigned after I successfully added this measure to the Public Safety bill on the House Floor.
Unfortunately last night on TPT’s Almanac show, senators indicated a reluctance to move ahead with this before we adjourn. This is a tremendous letdown. The burden of showing up to work and being harassed is far greater than whatever burden big business and other interests, like, dishearteningly, the League of Minnesota Cities, feel this change may create for them. I can assure you I will not give up in my efforts to enact real changes on this issue to protect people at work.
Please keep in touch with your feedback. If you want to follow along with the action (when it’s occurring) the TPT Minnesota channel is broadcasting live from the Legislature all weekend, and video streaming is also available at www.house.mn.
Sincerely,
John Lesch
State Representative |
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