Dear Neighbors,
At the Capitol, we’re wrapping up work on a new two-year state budget after a bipartisan agreement reached between the House, Senate, and Governor Walz. We will be working throughout the weekend to deliver a budget that invests in the things that matter to Minnesotans to help them recover from the past year’s dual health and economic crises, and succeed and thrive well into the future. Here's an update from Saint Paul.
Jobs and Labor Bill
Last night, the House passed our bipartisan Jobs, Economic Development, and Labor Budget. I’m proud it included legislation I’ve worked on to expand affordable child care and a measure to help strengthen the viability of the Verso paper mill into the future.
Our state – especially in Greater Minnesota communities – has a growing lack of affordable child care slots. The inability to access child care holds families back from reaching their potential and slows the growth of local economies. My bill invests $8 million to expand access to affordable child care. Of the funding, $5 million will go toward grants for child care providers for start-up costs, modifying facilities, paying workers, or simply staying afloat. Another $3 million will be split evenly among the six Minnesota Initiative Foundations (MIFs) to promote community-wide efforts to develop local plans to increase the number of child care providers and slots.
The budget agreement modifies terms of a 2019 loan toward capital improvements at the Verso paper mill which shut down last June. Following the recent sale of the mill, the bill gives the new owner until May 1, 2023 to finish their capital investments, will require 80 workers to be retained, and increases the size of the loan to $3 million. The measure will enable us to take advantage of good-paying job opportunities, and I’m pleased it was included in the final agreement.
Additionally, the bill invests in small business recovery, improves workplace accommodations for nursing and pregnant mothers, support for high-tech startups and much more. After a plethora of challenges everyone has experienced over the past year, this bill delivers tools necessary for all Minnesotans to succeed.
Historic Education Investments
Today, we’re passed the bipartisan E-12 Education budget which contains historic investments in Minnesota students. The budget increases the per pupil funding formula by 2.45 percent this coming year and another 2 percent the following year, a strong investment that will help students recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget also protects voluntary pre-K programming, addresses school districts’ special education and English learner cross-subsidies, and invests in strategies to recruit more teachers of color and American Indian teachers.
Minnesota students, teachers, and families experienced tremendous difficulties during the pandemic. All Minnesota children deserve a quality education from cradle to career, and our bipartisan education agreement makes big investments to help all of our students realize their full potential.
Criminal Justice Reform
One item for which a bipartisan agreement remains elusive is a package of criminal justice and police accountability reform. All session long, House DFLers have been working to advance a series of proposals to ensure all citizens – across all races – will be treated with dignity and respect during their interactions with law enforcement. Following the trauma as a result of the killings of George Floyd, Daunte Wright, and Philando Castile, Minnesotans are calling for meaningful changes. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans are resistant to adopt these important measures. The status quo is unacceptable, and in these final days of the special session, we will keep pushing to include real reforms in our Public Safety & Judiciary budget.
Please reach out to me with your input, ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance. It’s an honor to represent you.
Sincerely,
Liz Olson
State Representative