Dear Neighbors,
I was excited to see President Biden earlier this week sign an executive order eliminating the so-called “family glitch” in the Affordable Care Act. Last year, I worked to fix Minnesota’s version of the glitch that prevented people from enrolling in MinnesotaCare because they had access to employer-based coverage through a family member, even though the coverage is unaffordable. While we worked together to solve the family glitch specifically for Minnesotans last year, we carefully crafted our solution as a model for the rest of the nation, and the president’s action brings this effort to fruition.
Also this week, the Duluth News Tribune highlighted a successful effort on the part of parents and neighbors to reduce speed limits around Congdon Park Elementary. I’m grateful to everyone for their advocacy, and at the Capitol I’ve worked to lower speed limits in all school zones. I’m committed to continuing this work, including additional Safe Routes to School funding for students who walk or bike to school.
Addressing High Health Care Costs and Rebuilding Our Caring Workforce
This week, House DFLers announced our Health and Human Services budget package. To expand affordable health care access, the budget includes my legislation creating the MinnesotaCare Buy-In, an option allowing individuals and families to access MinnesotaCare – the low-cost, high-quality health care program that Minnesotans have trusted for 30 years. The legislation also makes care less expensive by eliminating cost barriers for those enrolled in Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare, takes steps to lower prescription drug prices, and to prepare Minnesota for the future, the bill studies ways to reform health care delivery and financing.
As chair of the House Human Services Committee, the bill contains numerous provisions I developed to address our workforce crisis in the caring professions. Minnesotans are worried about whether their family members can continue to get the services they expect and deserve and we’ve heard from people with loved ones in nursing homes, in group homes, and in other settings where they rely on dedicated staff every day.
House DFLers are coming forward with the investments necessary to support seniors, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable Minnesotans in their communities. We’re also addressing several determinants of health, including homelessness, food security, and deep poverty. Along with measures to reduce costs, including the MinnesotaCare Buy-In proposal, this budget is a cutting-edge package of solutions to help Minnesotans experience a better future. You can read more about our legislation here.
Education Investments
Also this week, House DFLers announced a robust plan to provide new funding to support students, families, public schools, and school staff. One of the most significant parts of the package is a historic $475 million investment to support student mental health, addressing shortages of school support personnel critical to students’ social, emotional, and physical health. The funding will allow schools to hire more than 1,000 additional counselors, social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, and chemical dependency specialists.
Other major parts of the package include funding to address the state’s $700 million special education funding shortfall and the $150 million English Language Learner gap; create a new statewide voluntary prekindergarten program for children who are least likely to have access to early learning; and expand opportunities for people of color and Indigenous people to pursue careers in teaching.
In all, House DFLers are looking to provide $1.15 billion in additional education funding in the current year and $2.12 billion in the next budget cycle. By comparison, Senate Republicans announced a plan to fund public education by an additional $30 million. That’s all, even with a historic budget surplus. The contrast in priorities could not be clearer, and House Democrats are committed to delivering the resources Minnesota students and families need to recover from the pandemic’s fallout now and thrive well into the future.
Targeted Tax Cuts and Helping Minnesotans Afford Rising Costs
Minnesotans are navigating an economy increasingly tilted against them, and are struggling with rising costs of housing, child care, health care, food, gas, and other expenses. This session, we can’t miss this opportunity to make a big difference in people’s lives by advancing solutions to help them tackle these costs. House DFLers announced a new plan to reduce the cost of Minnesotans’ biggest expenses, including child care, housing, and prescription medications. Democrats’ plan targets assistance to people who need it most, such as workers, families, senior citizens, and those with student loan debt.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the Minnesota Senate are putting the future stability of our state budget at risk by pushing billions of dollars worth of tax breaks for the very wealthiest Minnesotans and large corporations. Over the past two years, while working families struggled, corporate profits soared. The Republican giveaways are not only reckless, they’re unnecessary.
Next week, the legislature will be in recess for the observance of Easter and Passover. 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