Dear Neighbors,
This week, lawmakers advanced many of our priorities out of committee, including robust investments to help Minnesotans with increased costs and to help families, seniors, students, and businesses recover from a difficult two years. Next week, both the House and Senate are in recess in observance of Easter and Passover.
Virtual Town Hall Reminder
Here’s a reminder about the Virtual Town Hall and Community Conversation I’m hosting this coming Tuesday, April 12 at 6 p.m. We will meet on my Facebook page at facebook.com/RepJulieSandstede, and I look forward to discussing issues important to our region as we move into this next phase of the legislative session, which will include the development of a supplemental state budget and a capital investment package to invest in public infrastructure.
If you’d like to submit a question ahead of time, please click here to submit it. If you can’t join us, as always, feel free to reach out to me directly anytime.
Investments in Education
Serving as Vice Chair of the House Education Finance Committee, I’m very proud of the House DFL’s E-12 Education budget proposal, which our committee approved this week. With solutions to build upon the investments we worked together to deliver in last year’s E-12 education budget, this legislation will help ensure continued success for Minnesota students.
The bill’s mental health package, totaling $475 million, will address shortages of school support personnel that benefit students’ social, emotional, and physical health, and fund wrap-around services for students. This funding will allow schools to hire more than 1,000 additional counselors, social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, and chemical dependency specialists. The proposal provides more than $500 million annually over the next three fiscal years to significantly reduce the amount school districts pay to make up the statewide special education and English Language Leader funding shortfalls. It also creates a new statewide voluntary prekindergarten program for children who are least likely to have access to early learning.
Our education budget is responsive to the needs of students, educators, and communities, and the investments will help continue our tradition of a world-class education for learners across our state. You can read more about it here.
Helping Businesses Recover
Last week, the House Workforce and Business Development Committee discussed my legislation to invest in grants helping small businesses that experienced hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new Pandemic Relief Grant Program would offer grants up to $25,000 to Minnesota businesses with 50 or fewer employees in sectors hurt the worst during the pandemic.
As major global conglomerates did better than ever, our smallest businesses in Minnesota faced a squeeze unlike anything they’ve ever had to experience. Many hung on by a thread, while many more simply couldn’t survive the impossible environment. Now, businesses are struggling with increased costs and tight labor markets. Despite their ability to be fully open without any COVID-related restrictions, it isn’t an easy path forward for many of our smallest businesses that operate on small margins.
Grants would be split equally between the metro area and greater Minnesota. Eligible businesses include food and beverages, personal services, indoor entertainment, fitness and sports centers, and wellness and recreation establishments. I was honored to have Shelly Hanson, President of the Hibbing Chamber of Commerce, join me to testify in support of the legislation.
I’m excited that our House DFL Workforce and Business Development budget package includes $35 million for this grant program. This is one solution I’m hopeful we can advance this session to ensure our small businesses – the lifeblood of our Main Street economies – can once again succeed and thrive.
Helping Minnesotans Afford Rising Costs
This week, House DFLers announced our plan to reduce the cost of Minnesotans’ biggest expenses, including child care, housing, and prescription medications. The plan includes the biggest property tax cut in the last two decades, in addition to other investments to help workers, small businesses, parents, students, and seniors tackle rising costs. Our tax legislation contains a provision I worked on to offer a tax credit for residents and businesses impacted by last year's polar vortex. I carefully listened to the stories from people – including those served by Hibbing Public Utilities – who faced skyrocketing energy bills over just five days last February, and developed this solution to deliver much-needed relief. The bill contains other key provisions I worked on this session including an increase in County Program Aid, expanding the social security income tax exemption, and making more materials used for broadband projects exempt from sales taxes.
I’m also incredibly proud our Veterans and Military Affairs budget recognizes our post-9/11-era veterans – including those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan – with service bonuses. I’m the chief author of this provision to offer bonuses to more than 48,000 eligible veterans – similar to those offered during previous periods of wartime – who served between September 11, 2001 and the conclusion of combat operations in the Global War on Terror in August of 2021. Over half of them deployed to participate in combat operations. Gold Star families who lost loved ones in combat would be eligible too.
With a $9.25 billion budget surplus, we can’t miss out on this opportunity to deliver help for those in our state who truly need it the most.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to contact me with your input, ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance. You can contact me by phone at 651-296-0172 or email at rep.julie.sandstede@house.mn. You can also follow me on Facebook. It’s an honor to represent you.
Together,
Julie Sandstede
State Representative