Dear Neighbors,

Our first month of the legislative session is almost behind us. We have a full lineup of committee hearings, and one benefit of operating remotely has made it easier for people in Greater Minnesota to participate in the legislative process and offer input. Multiple hour drives to the Capitol aren’t necessary to offer comments to a committee, for example. A full schedule of legislative activity is available here, and I encourage you to stay up to date with House Public Information Services’ nonpartisan resources.

This week, January 25-31, is Paraprofessional Recognition Week in Minnesota. I’m tremendously grateful for their support to help our students reach their full potential, and during COVID-19, they’ve stepped up in numerous ways to ensure educational success. Thank you to all of our 20,000 paraprofessionals in Minnesota for their dedication. As an educator myself, I know we could not be as effective in our roles without them!

Reviewing the Governor’s Peacetime Emergency Authority

I recognize many people in our region are frustrated with some of the executive actions taken in response to COVID-19, and I too want us to get to normal as soon as possible. We’ve made some great progress in several metrics including case numbers and hospital capacity, however, the threat of COVID-19 remains real. While vaccine distribution is underway, the supply we’ve received from the federal government has been limited and we need to quickly develop strategies to get shots to more people.

The Legislature needs to have a voice in this conversation though. Last Friday, the House Subcommittee on Legislative Process Reform held its first hearing. I’m honored to serve on this committee, and we began not only looking at the governor’s current powers, but started the process to review our state’s entire law around emergency management. We received an overview from the nonpartisan House Research Department about the emergency management law, information from the Minnesota Department of Health, and a status report from the State Emergency Operations Center. Video of the entire hearing is available here.

There are 49 of 50 states that currently have some form of peacetime emergency. There are several examples of actions our state was able to take quickly and decisively to address the pandemic:

• Expedited state purchasing of personal protective equipment and other critical care supplies. Without the peacetime emergency, state purchasing of critical care supplies including masks, gloves, gowns would be slowed and effectively sidelined in the competitive market.
• The peacetime emergency authority has been vital in increasing our testing capacity. Most Minnesotans now have at least one testing site within 30 minutes of where they live.
• Increased protections for workers from unsafe working conditions and retaliation from raising concerns about workplace safety.
• Protections for Minnesotans against price gouging on essential goods and services.
• Expanded access for Minnesotans to Unemployment Insurance benefits and relief for employers
• Suspension of evictions for Minnesota homeowners and renters.
• Enhanced protections for residents of Minnesota Veterans Homes.

When COVID-19 arrived in March, we needed to act quickly, and none of these actions are conducive to the legislative process, which is slow and deliberate by design. Not to mention, at the time, the Legislature itself paused operations due to safety concerns. To be clear, changes must occur. We need to work together to carefully and thoughtfully figure out how to open more business and let more activities resume while ensuring critical COVID-19 protections can remain. Now that we’re back in session, we have the time for a full examination of every executive order to determine which can remain, which should be modified, and which are appropriate to eliminate.

As difficult and as frustrating as it may be, I hope this information is helpful to understanding the current situation. As we tackle this important work, I also hope we can all commit to lowering the tone of our rhetoric. This crisis is unprecedented from both an economic and a public health standpoint. Early on in this pandemic, “we’re all in this together” was the frequently used mantra in our country. Unfortunately, at some point this changed and divisions have continued to grow over the past year. The fact remains: we will only get through this together. We need to work to protect one another, we need to be kind to one another, and we need to help ensure our workers, businesses, and families can all emerge from this crisis strong.

I look forward to working this session to find a path forward so Minnesota can not only defeat COVID-19, but ensure our businesses, schools, and families can once again thrive.

Please continue to contact me with your input, ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance. It’s an honor to represent you.

Together,

Julie Sandstede
State Representative