 Dear Neighbors,
I hope this finds you well. It?s hard to believe July has already arrived.
The legislative session ended on our constitutionally required date to adjourn, May 23. After working toward compromise with the Senate and Governor, in early June we received word from the Senate Republican Majority that they are not interested in fulfilling their end of the signed deal that was made in May; $4 billion in investments for schools, nursing homes, and public safety and $4 billion in tax cuts which includes a full exemption on Social Security and various rebates and credits for young families, seniors, and Minnesotans with disabilities.
In divided government, Minnesotans expect lawmakers from both parties to work together to get things done, but disappointingly, Senate Republicans decided to walk away from the critical funding Minnesota needs for nursing homes, students, public safety, infrastructure, and more. Superintendent Ronneberg of Spring Lake Park Schools wrote a compelling column sharing with readers what using the budget surplus to fund Special Education could mean for our community. House DFLers advocated for a special session to deliver these investments.
I would like to highlight what we did accomplish this year:
- Secured bonuses of $750 or more to hundreds of thousands of frontline workers who did not have the option to work from home during the pandemic.?
- Distributed unprecedented amounts of money to address the opioid crisis.
- Reduced the cost of health insurance for Minnesotans who use the individual market.
- Passed a sweeping package of mental health investments and improvements for Minnesotans? mental health to increase hospital bed capacity, attract new mental health care professionals, and expand the use of mobile crisis units.
- Made the largest investment in high-speed broadband internet in state history, helping to connect students to classrooms, businesses to customers, and senior citizens to tele-health services.?
- Funded public health infrastructure to keep people healthy and safe as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves.
- Protected and supported veterans and Gold Star families.
- Replenished funding for Minnesota?s Unemployment Insurance Program while keeping businesses? unemployment insurance tax rates flat.
- Extended COVID-19 worker?s comp presumption for first responders, including fire fighters, police officers, paramedics, and more.
- Modernized state liquor laws to support Minnesota?s breweries and distilleries.?
- Funded nation-leading ALS research.
- Provided financial relief to farmers impacted by the 2021 drought and delivered resources to control and contain the avian influenza outbreak.
- Divested the state?s pension fund from Russian and Belarusian assets.
MnDOT University/Central Ave Safety Study--Public Meetings July 12-28
You are invited to attend a public meeting with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to share feedback on new concepts to improve safety for people walking, biking and driving along University and Central Avenues (Hwys 47 and 65). MnDOT is hosting eight meetings from July 12-28. The series of meeting will be held as follows:
HWY 47/UNIVERSITY AVE. NORTH OF 37th AVE -- Blaine, Coon Rapids, Fridley, and Columbia Heights
In-person:?Tue, July 12 from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.?at Fridley City Hall, 7071 University Ave. NE, Fridley, MN 55432?
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HWY 65/CENTRAL AVE. SOUTH OF 37th AVE. -- Northeast Minneapolis
In-person: Mon, July 18 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.?at United Labor Centre, 312 Central Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414?
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HWY 65/CENTRAL AVE. NORTH OF 37th AVE. -- Columbia Heights, Blaine, Fridley, Coon Rapids, Hilltop, and Spring Lake Park?
In-person:?Wed, July 20 from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.?at Columbia Heights High School, 1400 49th Ave. NE, Columbia Heights, MN 55421?
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HWY 47/UNIVERSITY AVE. SOUTH OF 37th AVE. -- Northeast Minneapolis
In-person:?Wed, July 27 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.?at Sheridan Elementary School, 1201 University Ave. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413?
People are welcome to drop in when they can; attendees are not required to stay the entire time. No registration needed for in-person meeting. Learn more at: https://talk.dot.state.mn.us/hwy-47-hwy-65-study
It?s been an honor to serve our communities in the Legislature by making safety improvements on University Avenue and Central Avenue in Columbia Heights, Fridley, and Spring Lake Park - with more improvements coming soon.
Frontline Worker Bonus Pay Applications
The Frontline Worker Bonus Pay applications opened in early June. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry has already received over 700,000 applications. I want to emphasize that Minnesotans have until July 22 to apply. The online application is best supported on a desktop with a Chrome or Firefox browser. Internet Explorer is not supported. The website also has applications in several languages. You can apply today, here. Please help spread the word to our neighbors about this opportunity.
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