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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Mary Kunesh-Podein (DFL)

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Legislative Update - February 22, 2019

Friday, February 22, 2019

Neighbors,
I hope you’ll take time during the brief lull in our snowiest February on record to join us on Saturday for a town hall meeting! At 10:30 a.m. you can join me, Rep. Connie Bernardy and Sen. Carolyn Laine at the New Brighton Community Room. In the afternoon Sen. Laine and I will be joined by Attorney General Keith Ellison at the Columbia Heights Library. More details below. I hope you’ll come to ask questions and share your input on the legislative session so far.

 

Floor Votes
Yesterday the House unanimously voted to end the marital rape exception, a loophole that made it so that even if someone is drugged and sexually assaulted or raped, it isn’t illegal if it’s done by a spouse. I was proud to vote for this bill to combat sexual assault and violence. Every Minnesotan should be able to seek justice if they are the victim of a crime and I’m so glad Minnesotans, like Jenny Teeson, who testified on behalf of this bill, came forward to tell their stories. You can read more about it here.
 
We also voted to unlock $6.6 million in federal grant money to secure the integrity of our election system. The money is already available, but the Secretary of State can’t use it unless the Legislature specifically appropriates it. Minnesota is the only state in the whole country that has not appropriated this money yet. We know that foreign governments and other bad actors have tried to hack our election system, and not making these improvements makes Minnesota’s elections a target. Both parties have agreed that this is a priority, so I hope the Senate will approve this money as well. You can read more here.
 
Committee Hearings 
This week I had a hearing on my Equal Rights Amendment bill (H.F. 13), which would put an Equal Rights Amendment question on the ballot in Minnesota in November of 2020 to amend the state constitution to read, “Equality under the law shall not be abridged or denied on account of gender.” The Civil Law Committee voted to approve the amendment. 
 
I also had a hearing in the Ways and Means committee on my bill to create a Task Force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and was excited to see that the Governor included the task force in his two-year budget, which he released on Tuesday.
 
Substance Abuse
This week I re-introduced a bill that would provide funding for prevention substance misuse prevention instruction in school. This bill, “Jake’s Law,” would integrate substance misuse prevention instruction into curricula for students in grades 5 through 12. Teachers, athletic coaches, and other school staff would be trained on prevention efforts in consultation with parents and other stakeholders.
 
Drug and opioid addiction is a statewide problem that devastates families and communities across Minnesota. This bill would help prevent addiction early – to take action on addiction we need a truly comprehensive strategy.
 
Sovereignty Day
On Monday we had an incredible meeting in the House Chamber with leaders from all 11 of Minnesota’s Tribal Nations. It was a historic opportunity for Minnesota House members to learn from and improve relations with Minnesota’s sovereign nations. I am very proud to have been assigned to MIAC (Minnesota Indian Affairs Council) and look forward to continue to build strong, collaborative relationships with our Indigenous communities. Here you can watch the morning and afternoon sessions.

Remember as you do taxes that there are resources available to many people. There are free tax preparation resources available here, and nearly 65 percent of Minnesotans are eligible for free filing, you can read more about filing for free here

Please reach out if I can assist you in anything, or if you ever have questions about the work we are doing at the Capitol. You can reach me by email at rep.mary.kuneshpodein@house.mn and phone at 651-296-4331.
 
Sincerely,
 MaryKP