Tag: Minnesota House of Representatives

House Committee to Discuss Improvements to Budget Process in Public Meeting

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – On Wednesday, the Minnesota House Subcommittee on Legislative Process Reform will hold the first of several public meetings to review the legislative budget process and seek improvements. Nonpartisan staff will give an overview of legislative process reform, the budget cycle, and the omnibus bill process.

Who: Chair Gene Pelowski, House Leadership, committee members, nonpartisan staff

What: Public meeting of the subcommittee on legislative process reform

When: Wednesday, July 10, 1:00p.m.

Where: Room 200, State Office Building

In future meetings, committee members and stakeholders will discuss challenges and possible opportunities to making the process of creating a state budget more open and efficient.

Statement from Speaker Hortman on budget agreement

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Tonight, the House, Senate, and Governor reached a bipartisan agreement on budget targets.

House Speaker Melissa Hortman released the following statement:

“Minnesota House DFLers are committed to building a Minnesota that works better for everyone. We reached a bipartisan budget agreement with Governor Walz and Senate Republicans that provides strong funding for education and secures health care for more than one million Minnesotans. While the budget agreement does not contain everything we would have liked, we worked together and achieved a compromise that is in the best interests of Minnesotans.”

House Approves Ban on Flame-Retardant Chemicals to Protect Firefighters

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Today, the Minnesota House approved a ban on the use of flame-retardant chemicals in certain products (HF 359). The legislation, authored by Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn (DFL – Roseville), protects firefighters and children from the health risks associated with these toxic chemicals. The bill passed with overwhelming support and is expected to pass in the Senate.

“There’s no purer form of public service than the work done by our firefighters,” said Rep. Becker-Finn. “Unfortunately, unnecessary chemicals in our homes often cause negative health impacts for firefighters. Banning flame retardants is a great step for protecting firefighters and kids.”

Rep. Becker-Finn’s legislation prohibits manufacturing or selling furniture, fabric, and children’s products that contain flame retardant chemicals above a certain threshold. It also restricts the use of firefighting foam that contains PFAS, toxic agents that have contaminated several drinking water sources in Minnesota. The bill is supported by Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters, Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association, Minnesota State Volunteer Firefighters Association, and Clean Water Action Minnesota. Continue reading “House Approves Ban on Flame-Retardant Chemicals to Protect Firefighters”

Taxes Conference Committee to hold public hearing this afternoon

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Co-Chair Paul Marquart (DFL- Dilworth) will hold a joint House/Senate Taxes Conference Committee meeting this afternoon at 1 p.m.

WHAT: Meeting of the House/Senate Conference Committee on the state tax bill, HF 2125
WHO: Co-Chair Paul Marquart, committee members
WHERE: Room G-15, Minnesota Capitol
WHEN: 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 15

While income inequality continues to grow in Minnesota, the DFL tax bill closes corporate tax loopholes in order to invest in education and target tax cuts toward working families, seniors, farmers and small businesses. The proposal would lower property taxes and increase local government aid.

The Senate GOP plan favors corporations and the wealthy while underfunding schools and contributing to race, geography, and income-based opportunity gaps.

Live audio of the hearing will be available here.

E-12 Education Conference Committee Co-Chair Davnie announces public hearing Wednesday Afternoon

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — The joint House/Senate Conference Committee tasked with developing a compromise state E-12 budget will meet Wednesday afternoon at 1:00 pm in Room 5 of the State Office Building. The committee meeting, to be chaired by Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL – Minneapolis), will include a discussion about career and technical investments in the House budget, with Education Commissioner Mary Cathryn Ricker to provide public testimony.

WHAT: Meeting of the House/Senate Conference Committee on the Education Budget, HF 2400
WHO: Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL – Minneapolis), committee members
WHERE: Room 5, State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul
WHEN: 1:00 pm, Wednesday, May 15

The House DFL E-12 budget makes honest investments in every student, in every public school with a 3% per-pupil funding increase in 2020, and another 2% in 2021. The House education budget also addresses special education funding shortfalls, enables schools to hire more student support staff, gives schools more tools to recruit and retain teachers of color, protects access to voluntary pre-K for over 4,000 of Minnesota’s earliest learners, and expands post-secondary opportunities for high school students.

Transportation Conference Committee Co-Chair Hornstein announces public meeting for Monday afternoon

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — The joint House/Senate Conference Committee tasked with developing a compromise state transportation budget will meet Monday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in room 200 of the State Office Building. The committee meeting, to be chaired by Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL – Minneapolis), will continue to review each chamber’s transportation budget and funding differences.

WHAT: First meeting of the House/Senate Conference Committee on the Transportation Budget, HF 1555
WHO: Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL – Minneapolis), committee members
WHERE: Room 200, State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul
WHEN: 3:00 p.m., Monday, May 13

The House DFL Transportation budget makes honest and responsible investments to fix Minnesota’s roads, bridges, and transit through five cent gas tax increase per year for four years.

E-12 Education Conference Committee to Meet at 2:00 p.m. TODAY

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — The joint House/Senate Conference Committee tasked with developing a compromise state E-12 budget will meet Monday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in Room 5 of the State Office Building. The committee meeting, to be chaired by Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL – Minneapolis), will include a discussion about technical changes that do not exist in the Senate’s budget. The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PESLB) will be testifying on agency-recommended changes.

WHAT: First Meeting of the House/Senate Conference Committee on the Education Budget, HF 2400
WHO: Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL – Minneapolis), committee members
WHERE: Room 5, State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul
WHEN: 2:00 p.m., Monday, May 13

The House DFL E-12 budget makes honest investments in every student, in every public school with a 3% per-pupil funding increase in 2020, and another 2% in 2021. The House education budget also addresses special education funding shortfalls, enables schools to hire more student support staff, gives schools more tools to recruit and retain teachers of color, protects access to voluntary pre-K for over 4,000 of Minnesota’s earliest learners, and expands post-secondary opportunities for high school students.

Representatives Cantrell and Dibble Respond to Genna Gazelka’s support for conversion therapy ban in media reports

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Representative Hunter Cantrell and Senator Scott Dibble today released the following statement in response to Genna Gazelka, one of Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka’s five children, expressing their support for a conversion therapy ban. Genna Gazelka is a member of the LGBTQ community, who was sent to “therapy” that “exacted a sense of shame.”

“Young people struggling with sexual orientation and gender identity need protection from the extreme, harmful, and discredited practice of conversion therapy. We call on our colleagues in the Senate to pass our comprehensive conversion therapy ban language that was passed in the House. Minnesota’s commitment to delivering the highest standard of supportive, credible health care should extend to all Minnesotans, regardless of sexuality or gender identity.”

Minnesota House approves consumer-focused eldercare protections

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – A package of strong reforms protecting seniors against abuse, neglect, assault, and other maltreatment in Minnesota assisted living facilities and nursing homes was passed by the Minnesota House Friday afternoon. The bill, HF 90, contains licensure of assisted living facilities, the ability for a resident to have a camera in their living space, a prohibition on deceptive marketing practices, and clarification of the rights of residents and their families.

“When they move to an assisted living facility, our parents and grandparents deserve the care they need to live with an excellent quality of life. They also deserve to live with dignity,” said Rep. Jen Schultz (DFL – Duluth), author of the bill and chair of the House Long-Term Care Division. “The protections in the legislation we passed today are long overdue and will improve the safety and security of our loved ones, and I’m thankful for both the consumer advocates and representatives of the industry who made these solutions possible.”

Many of the proposals in the legislation emerged last year from an Elder Abuse Consumer Workgroup convened by AARP Minnesota, and were crafted with the assistance of organizations such as Elder Voice Family Advocates and Legal Aid. Continue reading “Minnesota House approves consumer-focused eldercare protections”

Public Safety/Judiciary Conference Committee to hold next public hearing Saturday

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – The joint House/Senate Conference Committee tasked with developing a compromise state Public Safety and Judiciary Budget will hold its next meeting Saturday afternoon at noon in Room 120 of the State Capitol. The hearing, to be chaired by Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – Saint Paul), will include a discussion of the Department of Public Safety, a measure to allow judges to waive or reduce traffic fines and fees, a proposed Cannabis Task Force, various emergency response initiatives and more.

WHAT: Meeting of the House/Senate Conference Committee on the Public Safety and Judiciary Budget, SF 802
WHO: Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – Saint Paul), committee members
WHERE: Room 120, Minnesota State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
WHEN: noon; Saturday, May 11, 2019

The House DFL Public Safety and Judiciary budget includes strong investments in the courts, greater funding for correctional facilities to improve safety, investments in new offices for the Department of Human Rights, protections against sexual harassment and gender-based violence, bipartisan community-centered reforms to our probation system, and numerous other measures to ensure a safer, more just Minnesota. Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Chair Warren Limmer has admitted the Senate Republican budget is so inadequate, corrections and courts funding may even fall short of constitutional obligations.

The House’s budget also includes two significant measures to prevent gun violence in Minnesota. One would require criminal background checks prior to gun sales and another would provide for Extreme Risk Protection Orders, allowing law enforcement to temporarily restrict access to firearms if a court determines a person may be a threat to themselves or others. Despite widespread public support for these initiatives Senate Republicans, have failed to hold a single public hearing on the topic of gun violence.