Dear Neighbors,
Spring is just around the corner, and the first committee deadline at the Legislature is approaching on March 22nd. Things are heating up at the Capitol too, and I have several updates to share with you:
Town Hall Meeting – April 14th
Please join me, Senator Jeff Hayden and Rep. Karen Clark for a Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, April 14, 2018. We'll take time to discuss legislative issues this session, and hear your questions and concerns. It’s important for us to hear your legislative priorities, and it helps guide our decision-making at the Capitol. I hope to see you there!
What: Senate District 62 Town Hall Meeting
Where: East Phillips Cultural Center - 2307 17th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55404
When: 10:00 AM to Noon, Saturday, April 14, 2018
GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION DEBATE
As some of you may have read in local media, earlier this month the House Public Safety Committee heard two bills on criminal background checks (HF 1669) and gun violence protective orders (GVPOs) (HF 1605). You can click here to watch the full hearing. While I’m happy to see any debate at all on gun violence prevention measures, I was deeply disappointed to see Republican colleagues table the bills. As a coauthor of the GVPO legislation, I have to remain determined and hopeful, and the recent student walkouts and protests at the Capitol continue to give me hope that legislators can be pushed to make change. On Monday, a bipartisan group of state senators announced their own support for criminal background checks. We can do more to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. We can't wait another year for action, and we have to keep pushing for action now!
ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST INDIGENOUS WOMEN
Earlier this month I joined a bipartisan group of colleagues at a press conference calling for a Governor’s task force to end violence being committed against women in our Minnesota Indigenous communities. Nationwide, Native women suffer from violence at a rate two and a half times greater than any other group. In some regions of Minnesota, Native women are murdered at rates that are more than 10 times the national average. You can read more about the details of that legislation here and see a photo of those gathered below.
VETERANS DAY ON THE HILL
Minnesota Veterans visited the Capitol on Monday for Veterans Day on the Hill. This year’s focus was on helping surviving spouses keep their homes, stopping predatory lending against veterans’ benefits, and increasing access to the outdoors for disabled vets. It was great to see so many Veterans and advocates working to make sure their voices are heard.
GOVERNOR DAYTON’S FINAL STATE OF THE STATE
On Wednesday night, Governor Dayton gave his final State of the State address. The speech was a reminder that when we invest in Minnesotans and build on what we value as a state, we can achieve a whole lot. In the past eight years we’ve gone from deficits and borrowing money from our schools to surpluses and record investments that have made Minnesota the best state in the country.
These rankings are very nice, but they misrepresent the struggles and the reality that many people in our community face as they attempt to improve the quality of their education, healthcare and employment opportunities. I was very pleased to hear the Governor call on all Minnesotans to be more inclusive and broaden their minds to accept people of all races, religions, and cultural backgrounds. You can read that portion of
his speech below:
“I say again that the credit belongs to the people of Minnesota. We ARE our people, but we’re only as good as all of us are. That means ALL of us, in a state with rapidly changing demographics, in which 19 percent of our residents are now women, men, and children of color.
That is a very different complexion from years ago, and some folks still resist the change. If we can educate them to move beyond racism, religious bigotry, and other hatreds, they will see that this new diversity is crucial to our state’s future success.
There are simply not enough native Minnesotans to drive our future economic growth. There are already too few unemployed workers to fill our state’s current job vacancies. And that labor shortage is expected to become even more acute. The additional workers we need to expand our economy must come from newcomers to our state.
Adjusting to this new reality is hard for some Minnesotans. But trying to push back Minnesota fifty years is neither a realistic option nor a good idea. I want to be VERY clear. Minnesota is an inclusive and welcoming place for all, and we all stand together in making that statement to everybody in Minnesota.
During the past few years, our state government has led by example. Since 2015, the percent of state employees with disabilities has grown by 40 percent; the percent, who are men and women of color, has increased by 50 percent. That is important progress, but we have much more to do to ensure that our state government better includes and serves the rich diversity of our state.”
KEEPING OUR STATE’S WATERS CLEAN
There are many areas of Minnesota where nitrate levels in our drinking waters are unsafe for human consumption. No Minnesotan should ever experience preventable health risks from drinking unsafe water. Last week Governor Dayton announced a number of measures to reduce nitrates in drinking water. It’s critical that our state’s water and air be clean, for our families and for future generations.
PROTECTING MN SENIORS FROM ABUSE
Last year, the Star Tribune published a series that detailed serious abuses, sexual assault, and other mistreatment going uninvestigated in Minnesota’s senior care facilities. After investigations by AARP and the Office of the Legislative Auditor, Governor Dayton joined legislators to announce a broad set of reforms and investments to hold providers guilty of abuse accountable and protect the health, safety, and dignity of seniors and vulnerable adults. As a member of the Subcommittee on Aging and Long-Term Care, I have joined many of my colleagues to coauthor HF 3468 to make sure important changes happen this year to improve care for older and vulnerable adults.
While significant changes have been made and the backlog of uninvestigated claims have been investigated, I’m committed to making sure we do everything we can to ensure this never happens again. Our seniors deserve to live with safety, security and dignity. We owe it to families to not delay and take action on meaningful fixes now.
SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET
Today, Governor Dayton is releasing his supplemental budget proposal, which you can read about more in-depth here. In the coming weeks, the House and Senate will work through his proposal and come up with their own supplemental budget proposals. I’ll keep you updated as we work through the process.
STAY IN TOUCH
You can always contact me with questions or concerns at Rep.Susan.Allen@house.mn or 651-296-7152. For gavel-to-gavel video coverage of the House, here is a list of sources you can follow to stay updated on House committee and floor coverage:
Broadcast television schedule:
www.house.mn/htv/htv.asp
Broadcast television channels:
www.house.mn/htv/channel.pdf
Webcast/mobile streaming schedule:
www.house.mn/htv/schedule.asp
YouTube:
www.youtube.com/user/MNHouseInfo
Sincerely,
Susan Allen
State Representative