Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The new legislative session kicked off Monday and we are already in full swing of committees, floor sessions and constituent meetings! I look forward to updating you every week about what is happening in St. Paul.
My priorities this session will be addressing K-3 Literacy, rising crime and helping families deal with inflation by permanent tax reductions. I also am working on repayment of the Unemployment Insurance debt, so businesses don’t have to pay large tax increase in April. If we don’t get this done by March 31st, it will trigger an additional tax increase next year, even if it is eventually done by the end of session. With all of the federal covid money still available and the state surplus, there is no reason we should not be able to get this done by the end of March.
With a $7.7 billion surplus, we should be able to fund priorities while still permanently reducing taxes for hard-working Minnesotans and senior citizens on fixed incomes.
Executive Summary
• Bill Introductions
• HF3041 - Important for Government Transparency
• Speaker Closes Gallery to Public During Rally
• Speaker's COVID Violation Threats
• 10th Anniversary of Minnesota's STEM Internship Program
Bill Introductions
I am excited to introduce several pieces of legislation this session. Below are the bills I was able to introduce this first week back in St. Paul.
I have more bills in the pipeline, but they are not yet back from the Revisor’s office. In addition, all of the bills I introduced last year are still “alive,” including my bills on K-3 Literacy, empowering parents in education, and changing how health plans provide information about drug coverage to reduce surprising billing for drugs. Here are the new bills that dropped this week:
• HF2710 - this is a bonding proposal requested by the City of Dayton to help fund necessary wellhead treatment plants to ensure adequate water infrastructure as the city grows.
• HF3041 – this bill eliminates the $8 fee for accessing online public court documents. The fee harms citizen’s ability to access their own records and also puts a burden on the press and government watchdog groups, which harms government transparency. See more below.
• HF 3049 – This bill was brought to me and Rep. Kristin Bahner separately by a Maple Grove police officer who asked for help in adding additional crimes to the list of qualified domestic violence-related offenses that could allow aggravated charges in domestic violence cases. Rep. Bahner and I both have different versions of this bill and her bill will get a hearing in the House Public Safety committee next week.
HF 3041 - Important for Government Transparency
HF3041 is especially critical to preserving an open government in our state. The Minnesota Courts system recently announced plans to charge members of the public $8 to view or download public documents longer than one page, raising concerns from members of the press and government transparency advocates.
Minnesotans have a right to access documents relevant to their personal cases as well as to transparency in government. The plan by the MN Courts does not make sense – people should not be charged to access and download public records that are available online. I am proud to introduce this bill to preserve Minnesotans’ ability to access official records and uphold transparency in our state.
The $8 fee for online documents goes to the General Fund, not to pay for court costs. Those who want to get hard copies of court documents from the courts still will have to pay the $8 fee to cover the cost of staff time and the paper copies.
Speaker Closes Gallery to Public During Rally
I was incredibly disappointed in the DFL leadership Thursday afternoon when they spontaneously and without any public notice chose to close the gallery during our House floor session on Thursday. Earlier that afternoon, members of the public gathered to support the Minnesotans for Health and Parental Rights rally in the Capitol Rotunda. When asked why the gallery was closed, the Majority Leader stated it was because members of the public were violating the mask policy just outside the House Chamber. You can watch his full comments here.
This is unacceptable. We cannot be prohibiting Minnesotans who come to the Capitol from observing their government in action. It is critical to our democratic institutions that the House is open to the public.
Speaker's COVID Violation Threats
This week, the House Rules committee passed a new Policy on Public Health and Safety which requires masks to be worn at all times by House members and staff. If a member removes his or her mask while speaking on the floor, they cede their time and will not be recognized. Members who do not comply with the policy may face an Ethics violation and any staff member may face disciplinary action.
I have been critical of Speaker Hortman for continuing to keep access to the House chamber limited and State Office Building closed to the public. This Policy on Public Health is further overreach of the Speaker's authority.
The Speaker may have the authority to require masks in the House Chamber and I do wear a mask on the House floor out of respect for her and my colleagues. Nevertheless, duly elected Representatives of our districts should not face ethics violations or lose our ability to speak on the floor if we don’t have a mask on at all times. I wish we could make our own decisions but, in lieu of that, the consequence should not be silencing Members elected to represent their constituents.
For added context the Senate gallery is fully open to the press and public and their offices are also open. Senators have no masking requirements in their offices or on the floor. It is very Orwellian to have an “free” side of the Capitol and a “restricted” side. I look forward to the day when the public and the press are again welcome throughout the Capitol complex!
10th Anniversary of SciTech Internship Program
This month, Minnesota is celebrating the 10th anniversary of our STEM internship program, SciTech. The program has helped over 2,250 college interns connect with 555 companies in 142 cities across the state. SciTech is a free resource for students and employers.
Funding is now available for 2022 interns. I strongly encourage students and businesses to learn more here so Minnesota can have a strong STEM workforce for years to come.
Photos
Love the results of MnDOT's 2022 Name a Snow Plow contest!
It was great being back in my office for the first day of session!
Met with constituents who came to the rally at the Capitol to support parents right to make decisions about childhood vaccines.
Please Contact Me
Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any matters to which I can be of assistance.
The best way to reach me is by email: rep.kristin.robbins@house.mn. For occasional updates, you can follow my Facebook Page at @RepKristinRobbins. You can also leave a voicemail on my office number, 651-296-7806, which is checked a couple of times/week.
Have a great weekend!
Kristin