Dear Neighbors,
Here’s a reminder that our rescheduled Community Listening Session with Attorney General Keith Ellison will take place Monday night at 6:00 p.m. We will gather at Hallie Q. Brown Community Center in the Multipurpose Room. I look forward to giving a brief update on the legislative session and, along with our state’s top attorney, listening to your concerns. The meeting is free and everyone is welcome. We’d love to see you there.
WHAT: Community Listening Session
WHO: Attorney General Keith Ellison, Rep. Rena Moran, community members
WHERE: Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, Multipurpose Room, 270 N Kent St., St. Paul, MN 55102
WHEN: Monday, February 11, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
United Black Legislative Caucus
Wednesday I joined my colleagues Representative Ruth Richardson, Representative Mohamud Noor, Representative Hodan Hassan, Senator Bobby Joe Champion, and Senator Jeff Hayden to officially launch the United Black Legislative Caucus. We’ve never had this much representation at the Legislature, and we hope to use our collective voice to help see our vision for all Minnesotans.
Our black communities face challenges every single day including a significant opportunity gap in education, too much poverty along with a lack of true economic opportunity, and discrimination in a number of areas including employment, housing, incarceration and more. This caucus will give us a better opportunity to inform public policy decisions through a lens of opportunity, equity, and social justice for all Minnesotans.
You can watch our State Capitol Press Conference making this announcement here.
Prescription Drug Price Gouging
Too many Minnesotans struggle with high health care costs, with unconscionable prescription drug price increases contributing to this. Medications like insulin, which people with diabetes need to live, have tripled in 15 years. Some Minnesotans have been forced to ration their medication due to cost and in some cases, with tragic consequences.
This week, the House Health and Human Services Policy Committee, which I chair, heard legislation to prohibit the practice of prescription drug price gouging in Minnesota. HF 4, of which I’m a co-author, had support from the likes of Attorney General Ellison, AARP Minnesota, the Minnesota Nurses Association and others. All Minnesotans deserve lifesaving medication they can afford, and I hope this bill will help get these outrageous price hikes under control.
Stopping Wage Theft
Minnesotans deserve to get paid fairly for every minute they work. Unfortunately, every year in our state, an estimated 39,000 workers experience wage theft. This could take the form of being forced to work off the clock, management pocketing tips, mislabeling as an independent contractor, or simply not being paid at all.
Wednesday, the House Labor Committee approved HF 6, a bill to strengthen enforcement and increase penalties for businesses conducting this practice. According to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, workers lose out in $12 million in wages stolen from them each year. Ending wage theft is a matter of basic fairness and economic security for hardworking Minnesotans. I’m proud to support the bill.
Please continue to reach out with your input, viewpoints, and ideas. It’s an honor to represent you.
Sincerely,
Rena Moran
State Representative
Rep. Rena Moran
Chair, House Health and Human Services Policy Committee
575 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
www.house.mn/65A
Facebook
Phone: 651-296-5158
E-mail: rep.rena.moran@house.mn
Legislative Assistant: Alyssa Fritz, 651-296-2491