Dear neighbors,
It’s been a busy couple of weeks at the Capitol! In the House, legislators recently finished passing a series of supplemental budget bills – legislation that outlines how we believe the state should use our historic budget surplus to improve the lives of Minnesotans.
Investing in Affordable Housing
The Housing budget was one of the first bills we passed. It includes measures to:
- Support Minnesotans who are experiencing homelessness
- Preserve affordable housing that already exists
- Reduce the cost of housing for homeowners and renters
- Build more affordable homes and create housing opportunities throughout the state
- Create pathways to homeownership for more people, including first-generation home buyers
I helped develop this supplemental budget, and it contains legislation I introduced. My bill requires recipients of Housing Infrastructure Bonds – bonds the Minnesota Housing Finance Authority issues to fund the development of housing for low- and middle-income Minnesotans – to include units that are accessible to people with physical and sensory disabilities.
Expanding Access to Health Care and Reducing Costs
The Health and Human Services budget, which we passed last week, will improve access to health care and reduce costs. Notable provisions in this budget will:
- Reduce the cost of prescription drugs by banning price gouging and capping co-pays on insulin and other life-saving medications
- Provide more opportunities for Minnesotans with disabilities and support for people who care for them
- Rebuild the health care workforce by creating a new Workforce Incentive Fund and providing grants, scholarships, and assistance
- Deliver assistance to families and individuals who struggle to afford food and housing
- Expand access to affordable child care
Several of my bills are part of the budget! This legislation will:
- Provide shelter, essential services, and support for people experiencing homelessness
- Provide supportive housing for Minnesotans who are experiencing homelessness and have a mental illness, a history of substance abuse, or HIV/AIDS
- Increase the number of hours for which a parent or spouse can be reimbursed for providing disability-related care
- Help children placed in foster care access health care
- Increase access to palliative care
- Improve services for people with rare diseases
- Expand access to dental care
Delivering Innovations and Investments in Safety and Justice
Our Public Safety and Judiciary bill delivers tools that law enforcement, local governments, and communities need to keep all Minnesotans safe. It supports public safety through innovations and accountability, contains community-led solutions to prevent crime, and makes our criminal justice system fairer and more effective. This legislation will:
- Provide resources to communities with high crime rates so they can implement strategies that meet their unique needs
- Expand mental health resources and support for young Minnesotans who are involved in the juvenile justice system
- Provide funding to ensure sufficient staffing and recruit new officers
- Make sure law enforcement has the tools needed to do their jobs effectively
- Build trust in law enforcement through accountability measures
- Ensure every Minnesotan can access legal services
Legislation I authored is included in this bill as well. It establishes ongoing funding for the Family Resiliency Partnership, a program that helps women enter the workforce.
Providing a World-Class Education for All Students
The E-12 Education bill we passed two weeks ago delivers the resources necessary to meet the needs of all students, starting in the earliest years of their lives. To prepare young Minnesotans for success in school and in life, it will:
- Deliver more funding for English Language Learner and Special Education programs
- Allow schools to hire more than 1,000 additional counselors, social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, and chemical dependency specialists
- Provide early learning scholarships to more than 20,000 low-income and vulnerable children
- Increase the number of teachers of color and Indigenous teachers
- Address racial disparities in disciplinary practices
Supporting Businesses and Frontline Workers
We also passed bipartisan legislation to deliver bonuses to frontline workers and refill the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. More than 600,000 Minnesotans can expect to receive a bonus as a result of this agreement. The bill also returns the depleted UI Trust Fund to pre-pandemic levels and prevents any unemployment insurance tax rate increases on small businesses. Governor Walz recently signed it into law!
The state is building an online system to process applications for bonus payments. When it launches, health care workers, first responders, child care providers, food service and retail workers, and other eligible workers will have 45 days to apply. If you’d like to be notified when the application process begins, you can sign up for updates at frontlinepay.mn.gov. Eligibility information and other details are available here.
If you have any questions about these bills or other legislation we’ve passed recently, please feel free to contact me. You can reach me by email at rep.liz.reyer@huse.mn or call (651) 296-4128.
Sincerely,
Liz Reyer
State Representative