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Dear Neighbors,
The days may be getting longer but so are the nights here at the Capitol. As we head into the legislative session’s final months we have a lot of work to do in expanding access to affordable health care, equitable education and holding large corporations accountable. Here’s a quick update on our work this week.
Safety on the Roads
I know what it’s like to lose a loved one because of a distracted driver. 37 years ago I lost my dad on Memorial Day when he was hit by a driver while he was riding his bicycle beside Highway 10. To this day we don’t know what caused the driver to veer to the side of the road.
Distracted driving is a contributing factor in one in five car crashes. In Minnesota, it causes an average of 53 deaths and 216 serious injuries every year.
This week, the Minnesota legislature passed hands-free driving legislation which would require drivers to put down their phones and focus on the road. We heard a lot of emotional, impactful testimony that sent a powerful message that Minnesotans’ lives are more important than a text message.
Sixteen other states and Washington, D.C. have hands-free cell phone laws. According to WCCO, crashes and fatalities on the road decrease when states have hands-free cell phone laws on the books, and it’s no mystery why. A driver who looks down for five seconds while driving 55 MPH has already gone the length of a football field. Minnesotans deserve to be safe on our roads, and I urge our Senate Companions to pass this legislation.
Read more from MPR here and the Star Tribune here.
Click here to watch my remarks on the House Floor
Education
This winter has been hard on all of us: farmers, businesses, and especially students and teachers. School districts have had to make tough choices to call snow days to make sure students and bus drivers stayed safe and warm. I’m proud to say that we passed legislation giving districts some flexibility in planning and compensating their employees. Schools will be exempt from making up three of the Polar Vortex days. We also included provisions to enable hourly employees who weren’t paid on those days to make up that lost time.
You can read more about snow day relief here.
In the Education Finance committee this week we heard Chair Yoakim’s Division (Omnibus) bill, H.F. 1711. This bill builds on a major legislative priority of mine to support an education system that meets the needs of our students, upholds Minnesota’s high expectations, and prepares Minnesota’s workforce for a bright future.
I am so proud to be a co-author on the bill, which, among other things, modifies requirements relating to transportation of homeless students with individualized education programs, and enrollment of a student in foster care. It also allows a school district to consider community’s religious observance when determining the school calendar.
Ending the Opioid Crisis
More than 400 Minnesotans died of opioid overdose in 2017, and public officials have been reluctant to make any meaningful change. This is a statewide crisis that has touched nearly everyone in our community in some way.
On Monday I voted for a bill to hold Big Pharma accountable for their role in creating this crisis. Minnesotans shouldn’t have to foot the bill for the tragedy that these companies have inflicted on our communities. The bill would support a wide range of addiction prevention, education, intervention, treatment and recovery strategies, and passed by a 94-34 vote.
Big Pharma has collected billions in profits over the years without paying a dime to help Minnesotans get treatment or help law enforcement keep our communities safe. It’s time they start contributing to the solution. Holding big corporations accountable is the right thing to do and I am proud to support this bill.
You can read more from MPR here and listen to the astonishing story of the family that profits from the opioid crisis from the New York Times here.
Capitol Tours
I want to remind you that the work we do here, and the building we work in, belongs to you. You can come visit any time, The Minnesota Historical Society provides educational tours of the State Capitol for both school groups and the general public. Please let me know if you are ever in this neighborhood – I’d love to see you!
Have a great weekend!
Mary KP |