Saint Paul, Minn. — On July 1st, the Minnesota House of Representatives finished approving a new two-year state budget and adjourned sine die. The Minnesota House, controlled by Democrats, and the Minnesota Senate, controlled by Republicans, convened for a special session on June 14th to finalize a bipartisan budget agreement and avoid a state government shutdown on July 1st. Representative Kaela Berg (DFL - Burnsville) released the following statement to commemorate the end of this extraordinary session:
“It has certainly been an interesting inaugural session for my first term! Our amazing community has struggled together through a global pandemic, all while seeing the humanity in each other, and it continues to be my absolute honor to represent all of you in SD 56B. While we are disappointed that we didn’t get so many of the things we fought for this year like Paid Family Medical Leave, and Earned Sick and Safe Time, I am confident that our community will be better off than it was before this session. We successfully managed the COVID-19 pandemic while passing legislation that puts everyday Minnesotans first,” said Rep. Berg. “There is still more work to be done to ensure that our students, workers, and communities get everything they need to thrive, and I look forward to getting back to work for my constituents and all Minnesotans in 2022.”
The House DFL secured extensive investments in families, workers, students, and small businesses who’ve been hit hardest by the pandemic, including:
- A historic increase in funding for public schools and preservation of all day pre-K for 4,000 preschoolers
- Financial support for frontline workers who sacrificed their health to keep all of us safe during the pandemic
- Investments in access to affordable child care for families and increased funding for providers
- A plan to prevent an eviction crisis and expand access to affordable housing
- Targeted tax cuts for workers and small businesses harmed by the pandemic
- Investments to improve public health and reduce racial disparities in health care
- State aid for small businesses in the Lake, Midway, and West Broadway corridors damaged during last year’s civil unrest
- Better access to reliable public transit and investments in roads, bridges, and rail
- Substantial reforms to sexual assault laws to bring justice to victims
- Measures to reform policing and increase accountability
- Investments in families who are at risk of or are experiencing homelessness
- Delivering an overdue pay raise for our PCAs and additional support for home and community-based services to help people live independently
- Substantial investments to reduce racial disparities and improve equity
- Funding for the Market Bucks program to provide healthy and affordable farmers’ market produce to SNAP/EBT users
As a result of a bipartisan deal to end Governor Walz’s emergency powers on July 1, the Legislature will not convene for a July special session or continue meeting monthly as it has done since the pandemic began.
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