Dear Neighbors,
This week, the Legislature is on a one-week recess in observance of the Easter and Passover holidays. A full schedule at the Capitol resumes Tuesday, including hearings of the Ways and Means Committee – on which I serve – to move finance bills to the floor. Our House DFL supplemental budget has a laser focus on reducing costs for Minnesotans, including expenses like health care, child care, and housing.
A Great Start for Our Youngest Minnesotans
A strong, resilient early care and learning framework is part of a foundation for a strong economy and state. House DFLers recently announced a major plan to invest in child care and early learning to close opportunity gaps for tens of thousands of low-income and vulnerable children, help many more families access and afford care, and stabilize this critical sector.
The proposal awards early learning scholarships to more than 20,000 vulnerable infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Once these children turn four, they’ll have access to a new voluntary prekindergarten program. These investments are in addition to the Great Start Tax Credit – contained in the House DFL tax bill – to provide families with up to $3,000 for each child under five years of age, with a cap of $7,500.
The plan increases reimbursement rates for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) while increasing eligibility for the program, expanding access to care for more than 30,000 children from low-income families. The proposal also contains several provisions to support and stabilize the child care sector, including more than $200 million to continue monthly grants to help keep child care providers operating.
An investment in a Great Start for children not only pays dividends for them, but helps families, employers, and communities succeed.
COVID-19 Treatments
COVID-19 treatments are now widely available and can be accessed at many pharmacies, clinics, and health systems across the state. These treatments can help prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19, especially when taken early. Not everyone who tests positive for COVID-19 needs to take medication, and people who are at higher risk for severe illness are most likely to benefit from treatment, even if they have mild symptoms.
To get access to COVID-19 treatments, you can:
While case numbers and hospitalizations remain low, the best line of defense against COVID-19 is to receive your COVID-19 vaccine if you’ve not yet done so, or if you’re eligible, a booster shot.
Avian Influenza
First detected in Minnesota on March 25, H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has now been found in 34 turkey flocks across 16 Minnesota counties impacting more than 1.7 million birds. The Minnesota House recently voted to invest $1 million in the state’s response to HPAI for testing supplies and disease surveillance.
It’s important to note that HPAI poses little or no risk to humans, and the turkey available at the store is safe to eat. Beyond commercial poultry operations, many communities, including Duluth, allow small poultry flocks in backyards. To prevent the spread of HPAI, the University of Minnesota Extension encourages bird owners to separate their flocks from disease sources, separate new or returning birds from existing flocks for 30 days, clean poultry areas and equipment, and avoid sharing equipment among neighbors. More information is available here from the U of M Extension.
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