Dear neighbors, The 2022 legislative session is officially underway! My colleagues and I are busy introducing legislation, considering new bills, hearing from experts, and gathering input from Minnesotans. Support for Frontline Workers Health care workers, first responders, and other frontline workers work hard to keep Minnesotans safe and healthy. During the pandemic, they’ve risked their own health to continue doing important work. If these workers contract COVID-19, they deserve to know that we have their backs, just like they’ve had ours. When COVID-19 emerged in Minnesota, lawmakers voted to establish a presumption that frontline workers who contracted the virus did so on the job, for workers’ compensation purposes. The presumption lapsed at the end of 2021, leaving 183,000 frontline workers without a guarantee that they’ll receive workers’ compensation if they get COVID-19. Last week, we passed bipartisan legislation to extend this presumption. It will help protect the economic security of nurses, firefighters, paramedics, health care providers, police officers, and other frontline workers. Assuming a New RoleI was recently appointed to the Family Child Care Training Advisory Committee, a new group that will examine training requirements for licensed family child care providers and advise the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Our first meeting will be later this month. This committee was established thanks to bipartisan legislation I championed in 2021. I’m excited to continue working on this critical issue. Apply for Lawns to Legumes Grants Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators play a key role in our ecosystem and agricultural industry. Unfortunately, pollinator populations are declining rapidly due to habitat loss, lack of nutrition, and the use of pesticides and pathogens. Minnesota’s popular Lawns to Legumes program, which I voted to establish in 2019, addresses population decline by creating new habitats that provide food and nesting space for our pollinators. If you’re interested in establishing a pollinator habitat in your yard, the Lawns to Legumes program will provide guidance and support. You can also apply to be reimbursed for up to $350 in costs. More information about this program is available at https://bwsr.state.mn.us/l2l. Grant applications are due on Tuesday, February 15. My Column in the White Bear Press and Hugo Citizen The White Bear Press and Hugo Citizen published a column I wrote to highlight some of the issues community members have brought to my attention, including economic security, rising costs, climate change, and threats to our environment and reproductive freedom. In the column, I describe what legislators are doing to address these issues this session. Stay Connected If you’d like to stay updated during the legislative session, you can watch hearings and floor sessions on House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel. House Public Information Services also publishes daily updates at https://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/sessiondaily/ and on their Facebook page. If you’d like to receive updates from me, you can subscribe to these emails here and follow my Facebook page. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions, ideas, or feedback. You can reach me by email at rep.ami.wazlawik@house.mn or call (651) 296-3018. Sincerely, Ami Wazlawik
State Representative |