Legislative Update

Neighbors,
 
The legislature is on a break for Easter/Passover and we're spending time in our districts before heading into the final month of session. I want to take a little time to get your input. I've put together a survey, which you can fill out here. I want to hear about your priorities, thoughts, and concerns for our state government. Take a couple minutes and share with me! 

Here's a quick update from the last couple of weeks. 

House and Senate committees have been going over their budgets to map out a plan to strengthen communities across the state through investments to improve education opportunities, support access to affordable health care, and increase economic prosperity. When we come back from break, we will work to reconcile differences between the House and Senate bills and vote on budgets on the House floor. 

Education

Last week, the DFL-led House announced a tax bill which would reverse Republican budgets that have favored corporations and the wealthy. This bill would reduce taxes for families and use revenue from corporations’ foreign profits to invest in education here at home. Three quarters of that new revenue will go toward E-12 education, and the remaining quarter will go toward freezing tuition at our state's universities for two years. 

You can read more from the Star Tribune here.  

New Transportation Investments in Roads, Bridges, and Transit

The House DFL announced a new transportation budget that makes investments to fix our roads, bridges, and transit. The American Society of Civil Engineers rated Minnesota’s roads as “D+” on their most recent infrastructure report card. Bridges received a “C” and transit was awarded a “C-.”

A fact sheet with more information about the budget is available here.

The transportation budget reverses Republican budgeting that shifted more than $400 million away from schools, health care for seniors and other social safety net programs that Minnesotans depend on, to put a band-aid on our roads. This budget makes those investments instead by a transparent, phased-in tax on gas. This budget prioritizes better access to transit for Minnesotans who need to get to work, school, and live their lives.

Health Care

The Health and Human Services Committee announced a proposal to lower the cost of health care, address the rising costs of prescription drug prices, increase the quality of coverage, and give patients and their doctors more power over their care. 

• The bill preserves the funding stream for the Health Care Access Fund, which enables innovations in health care and provides access to health care for Minnesotans with low and medium incomes. It also offers Minnesotans the opportunity to buy in to a plan similar to MinnesotaCare.
   
• Minnesota’s wide health disparities are targeted through measures to increase funding for the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) for the first time in 33 years. Women’s health is strengthened through increases in family planning access, greater access to birth control, coverage for breast cancer screenings, sexual assault prevention grants, and doula services for Minnesotans with low-incomes. The proposal also ensures mental health parity, as well as periodontal disease and asthma coverage for those with low incomes.
   
• The bill also contains improvements to eldercare, addressing abuse, assault, neglect and other maltreatment in Minnesota’s assisted living facilities and nursing homes. 

Meeting with physicians who visited the Capitol

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is on the rise - it's a factor in one in four crashes and contributes to 59 deaths and 223 serious injuries annually in Minnesota. Democrats and Republicans worked together last week to pass a bill to increase drivers' safety. There are a lot of distractions out on the roads, and our cell phones are a constant cause of accidents and distraction. 

I proudly voted for this bill that will make our roads safer by requiring Minnesotans to put down their phones and focus on the road - and on Friday the Governor signed the hands-free bill into law. 
 
Thank you for keeping up with news from the Capitol, and feel free to reach out with questions or comments at any time!
 
Sincerely,
Alice Mann