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Dear Neighbors,

We?ve been busy at the House recently, as my colleagues and I work diligently to address the concerns of Minnesotans, dedicating our efforts to passing legislation that grows the middle class, strengthens our communities, and makes life more affordable for our Coon Rapids and Anoka families.






ST1

Here is an update from the Capitol.

Commerce Committee Approves Final Policy Bill

Our state government has a responsibility to protect people and create a fairer, safer Minnesota for all. That means working to increase access to affordable healthcare, ensure that consumers are protected, and other policies that lift up working families.?

As Chair of the Commerce Committee, I worked with my colleagues to ensure a policy bill that meets these responsibilities. Included in the bill is legislation to ban junk fees.he average family of four loses more than $3,200 per year to junk fees, and much more if they make a significant purchase such as a car.?

This legislation also puts strict guardrails on how social media affects kids? based largely on legislative recommendations in the Minnesota Attorney General?s February 2024 report, and reins in predatory ticket pricing, requiring ticket sellers to disclose the full price of a ticket, including fees, before a consumer decides to purchase a ticket.

Expanding Access to Affordable, High-Quality Health Care

MNCARE

All Minnesotans deserve to live healthy lives with economic security, and DFLers at the Capitol are committed to expanding access to affordable, quality health care. Unfortunately, too many Minnesotans currently can?t afford health insurance or have health insurance they can?t afford to use. Working families without employer-based insurance often face outrageous premiums and other out-of-pocket costs. For instance, many plans on the individual market have annual deductibles of $7,000 or higher. This puts Minnesotans in an impossible predicament, which leads to people avoiding care and results in poor health outcomes ? sometimes with tragic consequences.

One plan to solve this problem impacting middle-class Minnesotans is *the MinnesotaCare Public Option.* It would allow all Minnesotans to access comprehensive health insurance coverage ? with vision, dental, and more ? with low out-of-pocket costs and a large network of quality medical providers. People enrolled in the Public Option would pay their own premiums ? with significantly lower prices than what?s available currently on the individual market ? determined on a sliding scale based on income.

MinnesotaCare has been a nation-leading, highly successful, and trusted health insurance program serving low-income working Minnesotans for over 30 years. The bill [ [link removed] ] creating a MinnesotaCare Public Option ? which would expand affordable health insurance to thousands of more Minnesotans ? is advancing through the committee process in the House.?

School Resource Officers

Every child deserves a world-class education and a learning environment that is safe, supportive, and healthy. That?s why I have fought to make free school meals a reality, help districts hire more school counselors and social workers, and reduce classroom sizes so more students can get one-on-one help from their teachers.

Last year we worked to ensure school discipline practices reflect our shared commitment to ensuring schools are safe, healthy, nurturing environments. But one aspect of the new law gave our local law enforcement concerns about how school resource officers could operate in schools.? Over the last several months, I worked with the Coon Rapids and Anoka Police Departments to address those concerns. Recently, the Legislature passed bipartisan legislation to codify guidance provided by the Attorney General?s office into law. This provided law enforcement and school districts the uniformity and clarity they?ve sought to ensure school resource officer services can continue in schools that choose to utilize them. Coon Rapids and Anoka have both had school resource officers in local schools for more than 50 years.? As a result of the bipartisan legislation that passed this year, both cities will continue their school resource officer programs.

Building a Clean Energy Future

In 2023, lawmakers answered the call from Minnesotans of all generations to take urgent action addressing our climate crisis by enacting a goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. To achieve this benchmark ? one of the most ambitious in the nation ? we need wind and solar farms to generate clean energy and transmission lines to carry that energy to the electric grid. There?s a big problem though: too many clean energy projects are stuck in a slow approval process. Today, about 51% of Minnesota?s electricity comes from carbon-free sources, but according to research [ [link removed] ], to reach our 100% goal, Minnesota must double the current pace at which new solar and wind energy sources are being developed.

That?s why I support the Minnesota Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act. This legislation [ [link removed] ] ? which has earned broad support from Minnesota utilities, clean energy advocates, and our partners in labor ? will eliminate redundancies, increase transparency, and make Minnesota?s permitting process more efficient and consistent. Given Minnesota?s unpredictable weather, shaving even a couple of months off the permitting process could mean a difference of an entire year when it comes to construction. As addressing climate change becomes increasingly urgent, saving this time is more critical now than ever. Without upgrades to our decades-old energy permitting laws to meet the challenges we face today, our carbon-free ambitions may not become reality. The Minnesota Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act will help us meet this critical moment and remove barriers to the clean energy future all Minnesotans deserve.

Sportsbetting Agreement Reached?

Minnesotans have been waiting a long time for the opportunity to engage in fair sports betting. For years now, House DFLers have listened to and consulted with our sovereign tribal nations and stakeholders to ensure the best outcome for Minnesotans.?

This week, I am happy to report that we have found a deal that both Allied Charities [ [link removed] ] and the Tribes support. The new agreement is consistent with the 2012 agreement between the state and Tribal nations. There will be no changes to the new e-pull tab laws passed last year, and the charities agree that they will not seek changes to that law for the foreseeable future.

Now as the state looks to authorize sports betting, this agreement will be a major benefit to organizations ranging from American Legions, to youth hockey clubs, to organizations that serve people with disabilities, and will be totally paid for by new tax revenue from sports betting.

The legislation passed the State and Local Government Committee last Thursday and now goes to Taxes Committee.

We still have a lot of work to do to pass my sports betting bill, but this is a very important step in the right direction.

Keep in Touch

Please continue to reach out anytime if you need assistance or have questions at [email protected] or 651-296-5513.

It?s an honor to represent our Coon Rapids and Anoka families in St. Paul.

Sincerely,

Rep. Zack Stephenson

Minnesota House of Representatives?








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