Dear Neighbors,
Congratulations to Ecolibrium3 for recently receiving an $843,250 grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Targeted Community Capital Project program. Ecolibrium3’s SEE (Social, Economic, and Educational) Justice for Lincoln Park projects is a collaborative effort with the Duluth Housing & Redevelopment Authority and Duluth Children’s Museum. The project will renovate three commercial properties in the Duluth area to provide a neighborhood resource hub, a small footprint grocery, and an experiential STEM lab serving the low-income Lincoln Park Craft District and St. Louis County residents.
Here’s an update from the State Capitol.
Addressing the Direct Care Workforce Crisis
In every corner of this state, communities are facing an urgent need for dedicated, compassionate individuals to provide care for people with disabilities, seniors, those experiencing housing insecurity, people with behavioral health conditions, and other vulnerable Minnesotans. Last, Friday, I chaired a hearing of the House Human Services Committee to discuss legislation I’ve authored making $114 million in new, immediate investments toward services for people with disabilities and older Minnesotans, and incentives for Minnesotans to join and stay in the direct care workforce. The bill also funds support services for low-wage workers, and a variety of other strategies to combat the workforce crisis.
This crisis existed well before the pandemic, but right now we’re experiencing an unparalleled shortage of professionals, often called upon to perform work that’s emotionally challenging and physically demanding. Not only do we have an urgent need right now, but we have to prepare ourselves for further demographic shifts in our labor market and an increasingly aging population. House DFLers are stepping forward with solutions to ensure everyone in our state can live in their communities with the care and dignity they deserve.
Additionally, Governor Tim Walz recently signed my bill allowing the Minnesota Department of Human Services to establish a temporary staffing pool for long-term care facilities and other facilities and programs experiencing an emergency staffing crisis. When a crisis like COVID-19 hits, the ability to utilize a temporary pool will help us target staffing resources to facilities with the most urgent needs to protect residents.
This week, Governor Walz also announced Minnesota has reached a goal of recruiting and training 1,000 new certified nursing assistants (CNAs) through the Next Generation Nursing Assistant initiative. This is a plan paid for by American Rescue Plan funding to cover the cost of tuition, books, uniform, and certification exam fee for anyone interested in pursuing a career as a nursing assistant. Free CNA training is still available for those interested in a career in health care, including through Minnesota State campuses.
A Path to a Public Option
Last week, the Minnesota House passed legislation authorizing an extension of the state’s Premium Security Program, also known as “reinsurance.” The program’s short-term goal was to stabilize Minnesota’s private health insurance market, resulting in lower premiums for consumers while we work to fix shortcomings in our state’s health insurance system. In reality, we’ve seen massive giveaways to insurance companies with little to show for it.
While I have concerns about continuing to subsidize insurance companies, I voted for the bill because it had a measure I worked hard to include calling for a study of a public health insurance option, like the MinnesotaCare Buy-In proposal I’m working on. The study must include information about the impact on the current market, actuarial and financial analysis, and the cost of implementation, while requiring the new program to protect MinnesotaCare. It also requires DHS to conduct a report comparing various service delivery and payment system models to determine the most effective approach for Minnesotans.
Reinsurance was supposed to be a bridge to a better health care system for Minnesota. Instead, we now know reinsurance is a bridge to nowhere. We can’t continue to pour billions of dollars worth of subsidies into insurance companies with no measurable outcomes to show for it. Meanwhile, we have about 4.5% of our population without insurance, and a much higher percentage with insurance they can’t afford to use. A public option like the MinnesotaCare Buy-In is the bridge to the high-quality, affordable health insurance families, small businesses, and all Minnesotans deserve.
Supporting Minnesota Workers
In Minnesota, we value hard work. We also believe that everyone in Minnesota deserves to be safe and successful on the job, and have fair pay and benefits to provide economic security for themselves and their families. On Monday, the House approved a sweeping package of safety protections for workers at Minnesota warehouses, including at Amazon facilities.
Amazon subjects their employees to quotas that change frequently and often aren’t disclosed, with an intense pace and pressure to meet high quotas endangering workers. Amazon’s workplace quotas are demanding and unreasonable, resulting in a disproportionate amount of workers getting hurt on the job. The bill requires corporations like Amazon to provide warehouse workers with written notice of all quotas and performance standards they are subject to and how they are measured. The bill stipulates that employers can’t fire or take disciplinary action against a worker who fails to meet a quota that wasn’t disclosed.
Additionally, lawmakers approved legislation guaranteeing Earned Sick and Safe Time for all Minnesota workers, a basic benefit workers in Duluth already have that both protects public health and economic security of families. Finally, we approved legislation ratifying labor contracts for state employees including Minnesota Law Enforcement Association, AFSCME, MAPE, Middle Management Association, State Residential Schools Education Association, and Minnesota Nurses Association members, as well as employees covered under the managerial and commissioner’s compensation plans. The agreements cover nearly 39,000 individuals who work across state government serving the citizens of the state. The bill also ratifies contracts and plans for approximately 4500 Minnesota State employees and faculty.
House DFLers are committed to putting workers first, and these important pieces of legislation prove it.
New COVID-19 Testing Approach
COVID-19 numbers in Minnesota have consistently been low in recent weeks, including test positivity and hospital admissions. Meanwhile, with fewer people feeling sick, demand for saliva testing has decreased significantly. As a result, Minnesota’s testing strategy will be shifting more to a focus on at-home rapid testing.
Minnesota households are now eligible to receive two test kits (for a total of four tests) per home through the mail at mn.gov/covid19. Minnesota has secured 500,000 test kits (for a total of 1 million at-home tests) and the program will be available until all the test kits are ordered.
Through the federal government, Minnesotans can order free rapid at-home tests at CovidTests.gov. Food banks, local public health agencies, community groups, and other community health organizations may also have free tests available. Due to actions taken by the Biden Administration, costs for over-the-counter at-home COVID-19 tests are now required to be covered by health insurance plans.
With the lessons we’ve learned over the last two years, Minnesota is well-positioned to respond effectively if case counts tick upward again. While we all hope to avoid another wave, testing continues to be important for preventing the spread of the virus. Getting a test is still recommended if you:
- have symptoms of the virus.
- have had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
- are returning from international or domestic travel.
- attended a high-risk event.
- work in a setting that has regular, close contact with many people.
Please continue to stay in touch with your viewpoints, ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance. Thank you for the honor of working as your public servant.
Sincerely,
Jen Schultz
State Representative