|
Neighbors,
We did it!
Yesterday the DFL-led Minnesota House voted to pass the Equal Rights Amendment bill – just in time for International Women’s Day.
Fairness is a fundamental value to Minnesotans. Our state constitution should reflect that. The equality Minnesota women and men have fought for in life, in work, in school and in our major institutions shouldn’t be taken for granted. It should be guaranteed. It’s up to the Senate now to pass the bill. If this happens, there will be a question on the November 2020 ballot asking you, and all Minnesotans, to vote on whether our state constitution should be amended to read “Equality under the law shall not be abridged or denied on account of gender.”
Here you can read the coverage from the Star Tribune, Duluth News Tribune, KSTP, and the Pioneer Press.
Click here to watch Rep. Kunesh-Podein’s closing remarks on the House floor
Rep. Kunesh-Podein speaking at an ERA rally in the Capitol rotunda
Protecting Working Families
That’s not all that happened this week – I also presented legislation with my colleagues Reps. Mohamud Noor and Alice Hausman that would update Minnesota’s only program that serves low-income families with children.
The bills would update the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), which helps 91,000 families with children meet their basic needs and find and keep a job every month. The cash portion of MFIP assistance has not been increased since 1986. In 1996 I depended on this program to get by, and I struggled then to meet my family needs as I transitioned to work. That was 23 years ago. If it wasn't enough then, it certainly isn't now. This legislation will lift up Minnesota families who are trying to improve their lives by looking for work or going to school. This is an investments to help individuals who need a little bit of help at one point in their lives reach self-sufficiency.
You can read more about those bills here.
This week I also had my very last hearing on my bill to create a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force to address the endemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Minnesota. Currently, there is no state or national system in place to collect data on missing and murdered Native women in Minnesota where murder is the third leading cause of death among American Indian women. No one should wonder if their daughters, their sisters, their mothers and loved ones will return when they walk out the door. The Governor has indicated his support for the bill and I’m hopeful it will be passed this session!
Constituent Shout-Out
The woman next to me is a constituent who joined other cancer survivors to hear the proclamation I had requested from the Governor to proclaim March as, “Multiple Myeloma Action Month” in Minnesota. Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer worldwide, affecting more than 100,000 people in the United States. This proclamation will raise awareness, encourage earlier detection, and improve health outcomes. Thank you for your advocacy!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and that you stay safe while we brace for yet another snow storm. Please reach out with any questions or concerns and stop by my office if you’re ever in St. Paul!
Sincerely,
Mary KP |