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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Jennifer Schultz (DFL)

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Legislative Update - May 12, 2017

Friday, May 12, 2017

Dear Neighbors,

Since my last update, I had hoped negotiations on the state budget would be more open and accountable to the public. Unfortunately, we have gone in the opposite direction with the Republicans in the majority making more significant decisions out of the public eye.

This past weekend, I drove to the Capitol from Duluth to participate in discussions on the Health and Human Services area of the budget with legislative leadership and the Governor. Having served on the House/Senate conference committee for this bill, I was looking forward to adding my voice. There are many harsh realities of the bill to be hammered out, including more giveaways to health insurance companies, massive cuts to health care for Minnesotans, no increase in pay for home care workers, and over a half billion dollars in fake savings. Unfortunately the Republicans refused to engage in dialogue with me and Sen. Tony Lourey.  It’s not enough for them to keep citizens in the dark, but they are keeping legislators in the dark too, to the detriment of creating bipartisan bills Gov. Dayton is willing to sign.

Gov. Dayton is fully engaged and looking to move us toward an agreement. This week he put together several thoughtful potential compromise offers for the Republicans to consider. GOP leadership issued no counteroffers. Instead they went in a different direction by bringing bills to the floor knowing they would be vetoed and ending negotiations. These bills harm real people, and it’s irresponsible to bring them to a vote.

I remain committed to finishing this important work, but I simply cannot support proposals which harm Minnesota’s future. The Republican majority has a continued insistence on a reckless tax bill, with tax breaks for the wealthy and corporate special interests, including big tobacco. This squeezes out investments in not just health and human services, but our classrooms, childcare programs, environmental protections, job training efforts and more. We can’t afford to go backward. Instead of cuts to these critical areas, we should be investing in the things which make Minnesota such a terrific place to start with.

It also remains vital that these significant decisions are made in a manner which the public both can see and understand. When deals get struck behind closed doors, mistakes can go unnoticed, and Minnesotans can get stuck with real consequences. With one week left, the clock is certainly ticking, but there is enough time to get this done right.

Please keep in touch with your feedback; I appreciate and value your input.

Sincerely,

Jen Schultz

State Representative