Legislative Update – May 2, 2024Dear Neighbors, We are in the midst of long days on the House Floor, with debate often lasting until midnight. House DFLers are focused on passing legislation that improves the lives of working and middle class families across Minnesota.  Recently the House passed a human services policy bill that continues to make tangible progress for Minnesotans with disabilities, those in recovery from substance use disorder, and recipients who rely on our waiver services to help them thrive. The package includes my bipartisan legislation allowing community-first services and supporting (CFSS) worker training and development services to be provided remotely if necessary. This is a common-sense change to increase access to CFSS, and I am proud to see it moving forward. Passing Logans Law and the Uniform Parentage ActThis week I was proud to speak in support of The Uniform Parentage Act, which aims to make it easier and clearer for Minnesotans to determine who is legally considered a parent when a child is born through assisted reproduction (like IVF) or surrogacy. Thank you to my former grad school classmate, Nikki, for advocating for this law for her daughter, Logan, and the countless other typical families who have to deal with this atypical process. By voting green we are ensuring that all Minnesota families have a strong legal foundation for the future. You can watch my speech on the House Floor here.  House Floor VotesThe House continues to debate and pass supplemental budget and policy bills on the floor, covering important issues such as education, labor, housing, the environment, and more. Our work this year builds on last year’s historic successes and works to improve the lives of working and middle class Minnesotans. Recently, the House has passed: - A broadly bipartisan bill investing $240 million in our outdoors, clean water, parks and trails, and cultural heritage from the Legacy Amendment fund.
- A K-12 Education bill that boosts resources for the READ Act to improve literacy, moves forward solutions for student wellbeing, and enhances support for teachers.
- An Environment and Natural Resources bill with new investments in tree planting, improving air quality, holding repeat polluters accountable, and tackling solid waste and recycling.
- A Children and Families bill that reforms our child protection system and builds on historic investments in economic support for families, food security, and emergency shelter.
- A Transportation, Labor, and Housing bill that invests in railroad safety and public transit, enhances worker rights and safety, improves housing stability for renters and seniors, and funds homelessness prevention.
 We passed a Pensions and Retirement bill with bipartisan support, which prioritizes educators’ retirement security, improves our pension systems’ health, and strengthens the benefits retirees can expect. Also passed was a bill addressing the “kidfluencer” industry that safeguards young content creators with protections for safety, fair compensation, and future financial security. Health Care ReformOne piece of legislation I’ve authored this year would prohibit private equity companies from acquiring or increasing control over health care providers. We know that health care is still unaffordable and inaccessible for too many Minnesotans and the influx of private equity firms that prioritize profit over patients has only made the situation worse. I’ve seen this process firsthand in my job outside the legislature, and I know that quality of care decreases and overbilling increases. Thank you to our former state representative, and current U of M medical student Hunter Cantrell, for testifying in support of my bill.  This year the bill was given an informational hearing in the Commerce Committee, and I am glad the legislature is starting to have this conversation about how we can address one of the root causes of high health care costs. You can watch the hearing here. Combatting Junk FeesI proudly voted in favor of two pieces of legislation that will protect Minnesota consumers from deceptive and unfair business practices by ending junk fees and requiring ticket price transparency. We are all familiar with buying a ticket to a concert, sports game, or other event and seeing extra “service” and “convenience” fees added that provide no additional value to consumers. DFLers are passing legislation to require fair, transparent ticket prices and other important protections for consumers. Ending these practices is the right thing to do and will help Minnesotans plan and budget better in the future.  |