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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Rena Moran (DFL)

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Legislative Update – May 20, 2020

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

I hope you are all doing well, and everyone close to you is safe and healthy. Sunday night, the 2020 regular Minnesota legislative session adjourned. We came together to accomplish some important work – with most of it focused on protecting Minnesotans during the COVID-19 pandemic – but there is still a great deal of important work left to finish to protect everyone’s health, safety, and economic security. Here’s an update from the State Capitol.


Stay Safe MN

Stay Safe MN 5 Safe Practices

Monday, Minnesota’s Stay at Home order expired and now we’ve moved to the next phase: Stay Safe Minnesota. Retail stores and main street businesses that create a safety plan can now open, but are limited to 50 percent capacity. Gatherings of 10 or fewer people are also permitted. The governor’s action is a cautious step as part of his plan to gradually reopen businesses and allow more types of gatherings while keeping Minnesotans safe. A strategy is being developed to allow bars, restaurants, salons and other businesses to reopen, with a target date of June 1. Today at 2:00 p.m. you can watch the governor address Minnesotans with more details on our next steps on YouTube here with the address also being broadcast in Spanish on TPT NOW and Hmong by HBC.

Businesses must follow CDC and OSHA guidance. More information about these requirements is available here. The governor has also issued an executive order protecting Minnesotans who are concerned about the safety of their work environment. It allows workers to raise concerns without fear of discrimination or retaliation and protects those who refuse to work under unsafe or unhealthy conditions. Workers can call the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry at 651-284-5050 to report these instances so they can be investigated.

COVID-19 remains a public health threat, and we all have a part to play in stopping the spread of this terrible condition. Despite the governor’s new orders, we should all continue to take safety precautions like social distancing, wearing a mask, and staying home when sick. Additionally, people who may be vulnerable – like those with compromised immune systems – should continue to stay home. Read more about the Stay Safe MN plan here.


Jobs and Local Projects Plan

Jobs and Local Projects Plan - May 15

Saturday, the House debated our Jobs and Local Projects Plan, which would invest in critical public infrastructure such as our colleges and universities, clean water infrastructure, roads and bridges, parks and trails, municipal buildings and more. Unfortunately, due to a lack of support from Republicans, the bill did not pass. Important priorities to Saint Paul included the renovation of the Victoria Theater, the Third St./Kellogg Blvd. Bridge replacement, the International Institute of Minnesota, predesign work for the Riverview Corridor project, Wakan Tipi Center, Como Zoo updates, East Side Freedom Library, and the Minnesota Humanities Center. The plan also included a section dedicated to equity, delivering funding to nonprofits which support people of color and indigenous communities.

A full list of the projects in the proposal can be found here. We will keep working to reach an agreement on a robust package of capital investments to protect our public assets and create good-paying jobs that are desperately needed for economic recovery.


Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic

House Speaker Melissa Hortman announced the formation of the Select Committee on Minnesota’s Pandemic Response and Rebuilding. The committee will review Minnesota’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and assess our options as we look forward to best aid in our recovery. It will give legislators and impacted Minnesotans a forum to take a closer look at the pandemic’s impact on Minnesota, what the state has done so far to respond, possible future responses, including workplace safety and workers’ rights, and broader societal changes.

Yesterday, I participated in the panel’s first hearing which explored workplace safety for Minnesota nurses. We heard from several dedicated health care professionals who shared their difficulties, including inadequate responses from management when they’ve reported unsafe conditions for staff and patients, and a continued lack of personal protective equipment (PPE). Many nurses are forced to reuse potentially contaminated masks and gowns multiple times, when usually these items are disposed of after a single use. You can watch the hearing here.


CROWN Act

CROWN Act Floor speec

This past weekend, I was honored the House approved the CROWN Act, my bill which would add a provision to the Minnesota Human Rights Act to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of hair appearance and texture. This will prevent instances like the one in Texas where a student was suspended and prohibited from walking in his graduation ceremony unless he cut his dreadlocks, or the New Jersey wrestler who faced disqualification unless he cut his deadlocks off right before his match. “Hair Love,” the story of a dad doing his daughter’s hair while her mother was in the hospital, won an Academy Award this year.

All Black Minnesotans should be proud of their heritage, which is reflected in their natural hairstyles. I truly hope the CROWN Act will empower future generations to not be ashamed of how their hair looks or worry about what people in powerful positions might think of it, but instead give them the opportunity to fully embrace their heritage. Unfortunately, the State Senate didn’t bring the bill up for a vote, so we will continue working on this legislation in the future to ensure no one is forced to change their natural hair just to conform to antiquated norms and standards, or unjust policies at school or work. You can watch my speech on the House Floor here, and Insight News covered the bill’s House passage here.


For the latest news and up-to-date information, please visit the state’s COVID-19 Dashboard. For more information about actions the Legislature has taken to address the pandemic, please visit the Minnesota House’s COVID-19 webpage. Finally, if I can be of assistance, don’t hesitate to contact me directly at rep.rena.moran@house.mn or call me at 651-296-5158.

Please take care of yourself and your family. As resilient Minnesotans, we will get through this together.

Sincerely,

Rena Moran
State Representative