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November 26, 2024

Executive Summary

• Cold Weather Rule

• Update on Power-Sharing: New Committee Structure

• Economic Status of Women Committee Mtg. - Childcare Modernization

• International Fraud Awareness Week

Cold Weather Rule Now in Effect

The temperature is dropping which means Minnesota's Cold Weather Rule is now officially in effect! The CWR is a rule that states that you are protected from utility service shutoff, even if you rent. To avoid disconnection, you must set up and adhere to a payment plan that works for both you and your utility company. Utilities are required to offer plans that align with your household’s financial situation, and you can establish one anytime during the CWR season. CWR protection is also available to renters, provided the utility account is in your name and the gas or electricity serves as the primary heat source. While all natural gas and electric utilities must comply with CWR, this rule does not cover delivered fuels like oil, propane, or wood. If your furnace is powered by electricity, consider applying for CWR protection with your electric provider. For more details, contact your utility provider or reach out to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission’s Consumer Affairs Office at [email protected] or 651-296-0406 / 1-800-657-3782. Stay safe and warm this winter!

Update on Power-Sharing: New Committee Structure

Last week, a new portion of the power-sharing agreement for the co-equal House Majorities was agreed upon - our committee structure!

As you may know, the only other time we had a tie in the House was back in 1979.  Under the power-sharing agreement from that session, Democrats retained control of the powerful Rules, Taxes, and Ways & Means Committees and Republicans controlled the Speaker of the House.

Under the new framework agreed to last week, control of the House Committees will be shared equally.  Each party will have a Committee Co-Chair and Vice Chair and the Membership of each committee will be split equally. No party will have a majority on a committee, which means anything that comes out of committee will have to have bipartisan support.  This is a good first step, as anything that eventually passes the full House will also require bipartisan support. 

The Committee Chairs for each party were also announced yesterday and you can find the Committee Chairs list here:

While there is still more to negotiate, this new committee structure is a win for the people of Minnesota as it will require bipartisan consensus and ensure that all voices will be heard.

Economic Status of Women Committee Meeting – Childcare Modernization

Last Monday we held the third hearing on the Economic Status of Women in Minnesota.  I am Vice Chair of this Commission and am pleased to serve with my colleagues, Chair Sen. Sandy Pappas, Senator Julia Coleman, and Rep. Kaohly Her.

The focus of this month’s hearing was on the childcare crisis in Minnesota.  Many families either do not have access to childcare or cannot afford it. To watch a video of the meeting or review the submitted testimony, you can find it on our webpage here.

The main presentation was by the Dept. of Human Services, updating us on their Childcare Modernization Licensing standards.  Minnesota has lost thousands of home-based childcare providers since the pandemic and the most common reason cited is the onerous paperwork and regulations – they simply can’t run a small home business and do the work of childcare under the mounting requirements, so they leave the industry.  This is particularly a big issue in greater Minnesota where they don’t have the population necessary to support center-based childcare.

Center-based childcare facilities are also struggling to stay open.  They also struggle with a lot of red tape, and high costs for labor, insurance, and property taxes that make it hard for them to stay in business.

In addition to the hearing, I met with a group of childcare providers in Maple Grove last week and they all talked about how hard it is to stay in business, how they wish they could afford to pay their valued employees more, but they can’t raise prices to do so because parents cannot afford to pay more.

If you are a parent, childcare provider, or run a childcare business, I’d love to have you share your thoughts with the Dept. of Human Services.  Key links are below:

DHS Childcare Modernization Project

Family Childcare Modernization Project – Get Involved

Childcare Center Modernization Project – Get Involved

Contact the Childcare Modernization Project Team:  [email protected]

International Fraud Awareness Week

This past week was International Fraud Awareness Week - a topic we are all too familiar with in Minnesota. Every day we highlighted a different instance of fraud in Minnesota to raise awareness of how your tax dollars are spent.

See the graphic below which shows $445 million in fraud that has been uncovered and investigated.  This does not include ongoing investigations into fraud at autism centers and rehabilitation centers, which many think will bring the total under Governor Walz to almost $1 billion.

Eliminating fraud and wasteful spending of taxpayers’ hard-earned money is a top priority for House Republicans in the 2025 Session. Stay tuned in the coming weeks to see our package of bills that will provide accountability for your tax dollars!

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, once we are back in session in January, I’d love to meet you in person if you are coming to the Capitol!  Please reach out if you would like to set-up an in-person meeting. 

Have a great weekend!

Kristin