SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA– Today, DFL Party leaders held a press conference calling on Minnesota Republican leaders to correct the election-related disinformation they have spread and say to their base, with no hedging or qualifying, that the 2020 elections were free and fair and that Joe Biden is the President-elect.
“It is imperative that Minnesota Republicans tell their base the truth: the 2020 elections were not stolen, there was not widespread voter fraud, and Joe Biden is the legitimate President-elect of the United States of America,” said Ken Martin, Chairman of the Minnesota DFL Party. “We cannot stand idly by and allow threats of violence to consume our political system. We are better than this. Republican leaders must speak out now, not just to denounce violence but to repudiate the lies fueling that violence.”
We are rounding out week two of the regular 2021 legislative session. I proudly serve as Assistant Senate DFL Leader. This week, I joined other Assistant Senate DFL Leader Senator Nick Frentz and Senate DFL Leader Susan Kent for The Minnesota Senate DFL Call of the Senate podcast to kick off its third season. In this episode, we cover top priorities for the Minnesota Senate DFL’s 2021 Legislative Session.
This year, I serve on the Commerce and Consumer Protection Finance and Policy, Finance, and Human Services Reform Finance and Policy committees. As of now, we have only had informational hearings in these committees. It is already clear that a balanced budget will continue to be the main topic of conversation for this legislative session. I will continue to advocate for spending that helps us get through the pandemic, come out of the pandemic, and thrive heading into the future. In the Finance Committee, we will continue to look at the budget and spending in order to best help all Minnesotans. As of this time, all committee hearings are heard virtually, you can watch and follow along on the Senate website.
I hope you continue to stay safe and healthy this upcoming week. If you need anything please reach out to melisaf@senate.mn or jess.yeganeh@senate.mn, we look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Melisa
With threats of armed protest, please avoid the Capitol
Following the insurrection in the U.S. Capitol, reports have surfaced of the potential of white nationalist and far-right groups instigating violence at state capitols throughout the country — including at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, over the next few days through the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden.
While the State Capitol Complex will be secure and under the protection of the Minnesota State Patrol and the Minnesota National Guard, I encourage Minnesotans to avoid the state capitol and counter protesting in the proximity of these potentially dangerous gatherings until the threat has passed.
The reports of planned demonstrations by white supremacists, militia members, and other extremists should concern each and every Minnesotan — and present a real and credible danger to the community and public. The first priority must be the safety of Minnesotans and each other. We are discouraging people and groups from planning any counter protests that may be targeted by these groups over the next week.
Legislature receives an update on vaccination planning and rollout
This week the Aging and Long-Term Care Policy and Health and Human Services Committees heard updates on Minnesota’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout. This week Minnesota has been steadily working through Phase 1a of vaccinations, which includes health care workers and long-term care residents and staff. Over 150,000 doses have been administered so far and thousands have already received their second dose. A new vaccine data dashboard gives an overview of how many vaccines have been distributed and administered throughout the state.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services made some game-changing vaccine announcements. After a request from Governor Walz and eight other governors, HHS announced they would be releasing millions of vaccine doses that were being withheld. They also indicated the next priority group should be individuals 65 and older, as well as those aged 18-64 with chronic underlying health conditions. This would be a significant addition to the priority phases the state was planning for, which included essential frontline workers and adults aged 75+ in the next group.
More vaccine supply would help this process move faster, but at this point, no additional doses have been made available to the state. We need the federal government to provide more detail about the supply of vaccine available for Minnesota and when it will arrive. The state is ready to take on more doses of vaccine, but until then, we’re still working with an extremely limited allocation of around 60,000 doses each week. Vaccine administration has been getting faster and more efficient, but it’s important to be deliberate and do this right so that vaccine is not wasted or mishandled. As more doses become available and providers can vaccinate more people each day, things will go faster.
We all know how important it is to move through COVID-19 vaccinations as quickly and as safely as possible so we can all return to a more normal life. As the Minnesota Department of Health and vaccine advisory partners sort through the shifting federal guidance and learn more from the new Biden administration, we will work closely with state health officials and partners at the local level to communicate where we are throughout this process and provide as much information as possible.
Minnesotans can check mn.gov/vaccine for the latest information.
Unemployment Insurance updates
Soon after the state passed an extension for unemployment insurance (UI), the federal government took action at the end of December and passed an 11-week Unemployment Insurance extension. The federal extension includes the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. Additionally, a $300 per week supplemental payment to anyone receiving unemployment benefits was also included.
While the federal government paid for the benefit extension, state governments are responsible for determining who qualifies and distributes the money. Those seeking unemployment can apply through the State of Minnesota.
In 2020, the UI program paid out $9,680,185,156 when accounting for regular and new federal benefits. This represents 23,010,049 actual payments. A recent DEED press release included the following, “Over the course of 2020, DEED received over a million new applications for unemployment insurance with payments going out to more than 814,000 individuals compared to 120,000 new applicants in 2019.”
Businesses get assistance from the Legislature
The Legislature approved and Governor Walz signed into law a bill that provided $216 million in relief to businesses in December 2020. The money was divided into three areas: business relief payments ($88 million), movie theater and conventions center grants ($14 million), and county relief grants ($114.8 million).
Business relief payments ($88 million): The first distribution of business relief payments (3,893 checks totaling $67,320,000 million) should be arriving in the mail for qualifying businesses in mid-January. Qualifying businesses generally include restaurants, breweries, wineries, bars, gyms, and bowling centers that saw a 30% reduction in business as a result of COVID-19. Businesses did not need to take action to receive these payments, the Department of Revenue used information on file.
Movie theaters ($14 million): Grants are available for application for convention centers with a seating capacity of over 1,500, and movie theaters. A per screen formula is used in determining the allocation for movie theaters while there are several criteria for convention centers.
County relief grants ($114.8 million): The largest pot of money was given to counties to distribute to businesses and nonprofits in their communities impacted by the pandemic. Counties were given a lot of discretion in how the funds would be deployed in the communities encompassed within their borders. The money for counties was allocated based on $200,000 or a per capita population formula, whichever is greater. To see how/when funding will be allocated contact your county.
Federal assistance: In December, the federal government passed a second package that provided additional assistance for businesses. Information on the availability of federal assistance can be found on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s website.
I am eager to get back to the regular legislative session of 2021, which marks the beginning of the 92nd Legislature. It is also my honor to be sworn into my third term in the Minnesota Senate.
Minnesotans faced unprecedented disruption in 2020 with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic and the unrest following the murder of George Floyd. Few of the years in the history of our state have presented as many challenges as 2020, and yet these challenges remain as we enter 2021. Despite this, we remain guided by our shared values and priorities.
New reporting from the Star Tribune has revealed the extent to which the QAnon conspiracy theory has permeated the Republican Party of Minnesota. At least six Minnesota Republican Party-endorsed candidates have professed belief in the deranged conspiracy cult.
At least a half-dozen Minnesota Republicans running for state legislative seats in November have promoted the sprawling QAnon conspiracy theory that includes false claims that Satanists and pedophiles run the government and that COVID-19 is part of a plot to steal the election.
Once dismissed as a fringe movement, QAnon is quickly seeping into mainstream Republican politics as scores of GOP candidates across the country express support for its ideas. Among them are six candidates endorsed by the Minnesota Republican Party for state House and Senate seats from the Iron Range to the metro suburbs.
We were recently informed by acting Minnesota Senate Information Technology Director, Robert Ludden, of a problem related to the webform filter in conjunction with our Senate email address. The Senate website was hacked on June 2nd, so the webforms that our office uses had to be taken down. In turn SIS tried to replicate the process of emails transferring into our Senate emails. However, they were not able to get a notification system created that would alert the member or staff when these emails came in.
Because of this, I apologize as I may have missed an important email that you sent my office. I want to continue hearing from you. You can now send emails directly to sen.melisa.franzen@senate.mn, or you can reach me by phone at my cell 612-968-4566.
Thank you for your continued support and patience.
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA -DFL Party State Senator Melisa Franzen (District 49) released the following statement in response to the today’s Women for Trump event in Minnesota:
“Trump’s inability to implement any meaningful COVID-19 testing, tracing, and mitigation strategy has allowed this deadly virus to spread throughout the country, taking over 138,000 American lives and costing millions of Americans their jobs.
“Women, and particularly women of color, have lost their jobs at much higher rates as a result of the economic damage brought on by Trump’s negligent response to this pandemic. No amount of campaign stunts can paper over the fact that Donald Trump has been a terrible president for women across Minnesota and across America.”
The killing of George Floyd at the hands of police has changed our world forever. Now is the time to come together to keep our communities safe, restore order, and continue the pursuit of justice for George Floyd.
Tonight, for our own personal safety and the safety of our first responders we must stay home and abide by the curfew throughout our district, including those imposed in Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina and Minnetonka.
We have received credible information of agitators from out of state that are instigating mayhem in our cities. This is a developing and dangerous situation. We must take necessary precautions to allow the Minnesota National Guard, and local police and fire departments to control the situation and reinstate the peace. Continue reading “Sen. Melisa Franzen Update: May 30, 2020 Weekend Curfews”
Today, I officially filed for re-election to the Minnesota Senate. I am excited for the opportunity to continue serving our community and working with the great people of Senate District 49!
Dear Constituents and Friends,
The 91st legislative session ended on Sunday, May 17, 2020 with the Minnesota Legislature adjourning sine die. While this is not the last time we will meet this year, it was an end to what can only be described as a unique session. Continue reading “Sen. Melisa Franzen (SD49) Update: May 22, 2020”
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — This afternoon, the House Ways and Means Committee passed HF 4611. The bill, authored in the House by State Representative Aisha Gomez (DFL- Minneapolis) and in the Senate by Senator Melisa Franzen (DFL-Edina), creates an emergency community relief grant program that is designed to help individuals who have been harmed by the coronavirus pandemic. The bill is designed to aid those who have slipped through the cracks of other aid programs, and has broad support from over 70 community organizations.
“Even though there have been a number of aid programs to help Minnesotans who have been impacted by COVID-19, there are far too many people in our communities who don’t have a safety net,” said Rep. Gomez. “This bill recognizes that workers who are undocumented, earn their income from tips, or are considered other ‘non-traditional’ workers, are a critical part of our communities. These workers have been equally impacted by the pandemic, yet their plight has been largely ignored and government aid has been extremely limited. It is critical that we stick to our values and stand by the most vulnerable during this crisis.”Continue reading “House Ways and Means Committee Passes Bill Granting $50 Million to Emergency Community Relief Grant Program”
We are entering the last week of what can only be described as a unique session. The impact of COVID-19 has affected so many facets of our lives. Not only has it threatened Minnesotan’s physical health, job security, and financial stability – it has also taken a toll on the mental health of our communities.
As we witness the progression of this disease in our communities, we can sometimes feel helpless with the overload of information and news coverage. Below are some volunteer opportunities, if you are looking to give back to your community during these times: Continue reading “Sen. Melisa Franzen (SD49) Update: May 8, 2020”
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — This afternoon, the House Ways and Means Committee passed 
