Dear Neighbors,
I hope you’re doing well as the weather warms up. Here’s an update from the State Capitol.
Supporting Minnesota Workers
Monday, the House passed three bills to protect the health, safety, and economic security of workers, including a bill I authored guaranteeing Earned Sick and Safe Time for all Minnesota workers. Expecting workers to choose between getting healthy and getting paid is simply wrong. Earned Sick and Safe Time is the solution our state needs to ensure everyone can have the fundamental ability to take care of themselves or a loved one if they get sick.
We approved other important legislation supporting workers, too. Amazon warehouse workers face grueling conditions, and are expected to meet unreasonable and often undisclosed work quotas. As a result, one in nine workers at Amazon warehouses in Minnesota is injured on the job, twice the injury rate of non-Amazon warehouses in the state.
I proudly supported a bill protecting and empowering Minnesota’s warehouse workers, requiring corporations like Amazon to disclose all quotas and performance standards. The bill also prohibits discipline against workers who don’t meet non-disclosed quotas. A fact sheet about the bill is available here.
Finally, we ratified labor contracts for many of our state employees. These hardworking Minnesotans keep us safe, protect our public health, clear our highways of snow, and provide so many other critical public services. We value their efforts, and they deserve fair compensation to support themselves and their families.
Standing With Ukraine
We’re all saddened by the images we’re continuing to witness as a result of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. To do our part as a state, I recently supported a broadly bipartisan bill divesting Minnesota’s state pensions of Russian and Belarusian assets, and codifying Governor Walz’s Executive Order barring Minnesota from contracting with Russian companies. The legislation requires Minnesota, primarily the State Board of Investment, to divest of its direct holdings of Russian and Belarusian assets.
Minnesotans care deeply about one another, and this bill represents action we can take right now to stand with our friends not just in Ukraine, but the 16,000 Ukrainian-Americans living in Minnesota. By taking this action, Minnesota is rejecting this unprovoked attack on a sovereign nation. Meanwhile, we continue to hope for peace to prevail.
Historic Investments in ALS Research
Sen. David Tomassoni of Chisholm has been a leader for northern Minnesota at the Capitol the for last 30 years. Last year, he was diagnosed with ALS, a neurodegenerative condition resulting in progressive loss of motor control of voluntary muscles. There is no known cure. Despite how debilitating ALS has been for him personally, Sen. Tomassoni has dedicated his remaining time at the Capitol to helping people diagnosed with ALS in the future.
He worked to quickly introduce and advocate for a bill with $20 million toward research into the prevention, treatment, causes, and cures of ALS and invests $5 million for caregiver support programs for families of people with ALS. This is the largest single investment a state has ever made. The House passed the bill last week and Governor Walz has now signed the bill into law.
As always, I invite you to 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