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*April 5, 2024
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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I hope you had a wonderful Easter with your loved ones! Now that the Legislature is back from “spring break,” the pace of floor sessions is picking up and we are starting to have lengthy floor debates on policy omnibus bills.

Several key updates are below – keep reading!  I hope you all enjoy this beautiful weekend!







Executive Summary

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Uber/Lyft Update

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Bill Updates

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Floor Amendment on Blue Line Extension

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Civility Caucus Update






Uber/Lyft Update

Yesterday *House Republicans **held a press conference* [ [link removed] ]* and attempted to declare an urgency on the House Floor to take up **HF 5006 * [ [link removed] ]*.  This bill would solve the looming transportation crisis that will occur on May 1st , when Uber/Lyft cease operations in our state.*   Citizens in our district rely on these rideshare apps to get to and from the airport, their jobs or school, as well as to access essential services like doctors’ appointments, getting groceries or picking up prescriptions.

 As you will recall, the Minneapolis City Council passed a requirement that would guarantee drivers a minimum wage up to $90/hour and other benefits.  These relationships are usually determined through negotiations between private companies and independent contractors, not mandated by local governments.  Mayor Frey vetoed this onerous ordinance, but the City Council then overrode his veto and Uber/Lyft announced they will leave the state as of May 1, 2024.

*Although that deadline is several weeks away, the impact is already being felt.*  Hertz, which rents cars to drivers, has already started recalling its rental cars from drivers [ [link removed] ] and there have been other reports of reduced service.   *This will be a significant blow not only to people who rely on rideshare services, but also to the drivers, who will soon lose their jobs.*

My colleague, Rep. Elliot Engen, introduced HF 5006 [ [link removed] ] to *solve this looming disaster by preempting the City of Minneapolis’ ordinance.  *The bill would simply restore the status quo and allowing drivers and Uber/Lyft to continue to their private-sector negotiations. 

While I am generally a strong supporter of local control, *I co-authored this bill because I do not support one city enacting a policy that will negatively impact constituents outside of their jurisdiction – indeed the entire state. *

Unfortunately, our motion to declare an “urgency” and preempt the City Council’s ordinance failed on a party-line vote.*   Solving this problem now would have given Minnesotans who rely on rideshare services the certainty they need to know they will continue to be able to get to school, work, home, doctors’ appointments, etc.  We will continue to fight for this common-sense solution until May 1st.*






Bill Updates

Pelvic Exam Bill

For the past 6 years, I’ve introduced legislation that requires consent before a pelvic exam can be performed on an anesthetized patient, unless it is a medical necessity.  This year, the bill is HF 0078 [ [link removed] ].  

In the past, some teaching hospitals trained their residents to correctly perform these exams by having them practice on anesthetized patients.  Although I have been assured this is no longer how residents are trained in Minnesota, my bill would provide a clear statutory prohibition on this practice and create a clear standard of care, regardless of how or where a medical professional received their training.

*I believe it is common sense to require consent when a patient is participating in education and training for medical professionals and a non-essential medical procedure is performed when an individual is unconscious.  This should not be a partisan issue.*  Unfortunately, the Majority has never granted me a hearing on this bill in the last 6 years.

Thankfully, the importance of this issue has been recognized elsewhere and more than 20 states have banned the practice in the last few years.  *This week, the federal government also joined the effort, issuing guidance to require consent for these and similar invasive exams or risk losing their federal Medicare/Medicaid funding.*

This Kare-11 [ [link removed] ] article provides some important context on the issue.  *Although I am disappointed we have not been able to get this basic protection enacted in Minnesota statute, I am pleased that the federal government has taken action to protect Minnesotans from invasive exams without consent.*

 

*Assisted Living Bill*

Yesterday I also was able to have a hearing on HF 3654 [ [link removed] ], my bill to require assisted living facilities to make available their plan for addressing a problem or complaint when they receive a correction order from the MN Dept. of Health. 

This idea was brought to me by a constituent who had been trying unsuccessfully to find out if the correction orders the Dept. of Health had issued at the facility where her father lived had been completed.  She called the facility, worked with the Ombudsman for Assisted Living, and also contacted the Dept. of Health.  Unfortunately, rather than just providing her with answers, she was repeatedly told that the state doesn’t require that correction plans be made available to families, so they did not have to provide the information.

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*The constituent then brought the issue to my attention, and we worked cooperatively with Assisted Living providers to find a solution that would give families peace of mind without creating unnecessary paperwork or burdensome requirements for providers, who are already under-staffed. *

 The Committee seemed pleased with the cooperative solution and the bill was “laid over for possible inclusion” in the Committee’s omnibus bill later in the session.  I’m optimistic that we will be able to get this common-sense change done and help families across the state! 







Floor Amendment on Blue Line Extension

Last night I offered an amendment to stop any new spending on future light rail projects until the Southwest Light Rail is operating. The Southwest Light Rail project is currently expected to cost $3 billion and open in 2027, which is $2 billion over budget and 10 years behind schedule.  

*Despite the multitude of problems on the SW Light Rail project and the Metropolitan Council’s inability to adequately maintain and staff the existing light rail lines, the DFL Majority continues to push for an expansion of the Blue Line.*  The Blue Line Extension’s initial cost projection is $3.2 billion, which is more than the problem-plagued SW Light Rail, despite being a mile shorter. 

This estimate doesn’t account for potential delays, cost overruns or engineering problems that have beset the SW Light Rail line.  Indeed, just this week, it was revealed that the freight and passenger tracks are too close together [ [link removed] ] . 

While I certainly support addressing the transportation needs of our communities, we should not be starting additional fixed light rail projects until we know the problems with SW Light Rail have been fixed, funded and that they have the budget and staff to operate it.

We also should prioritize lower-cost, more flexible options, such as Bus Rapid Transit, instead of fixed light rail.  The state has already invested $210 million in the Blue Line Extension.  We need to stop any additional work on this so project so the Majority cannot claim, as they have with SW Light Rail and the Palace for Politicians, that it is too late to pull back. 

You can  watch my speech [ [link removed] ] on the House Floor last night.






Civility Caucus Update

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I am the House Co-Chair of the Civility Caucus and this week we hosted a Hotdish Cookoff & Potluck.  My contribution was a Turkey Noodle Hotdish, which has long been a favorite of my girls.

*It is always worthwhile to foster bipartisan, bicameral relationships to ensure that we’re able to effectively serve the people of Minnesota!*

Although we didn’t declare a winner, everyone’s dishes were great and well-received.  My personal favorite was Rep. Kraft’s homemade mint-chocolate      ice cream! ??







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Enjoyed seeing many friends at API Day at the Capitol! It was also a great honor to meet so many heroes who fought with us during the Vietnam War. It was a wonderful celebration of the many contributions of the API community to our state and our country. Thanks to the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans!






Please Contact Me

Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any matters to which I can be of assistance.

The best way to reach me is by email: [email protected]. For occasional updates, you can follow my Facebook Page at @RepKristinRobbins. You can also leave a voicemail on my office number, 651-296-7806, which is checked every weekday while we are in session.

Of course, if you are coming to the Capitol, I’d love to meet you! Please reach out if you would like to set up an in-person meeting. 

Have a great weekend!

 

Kristin











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