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*February 10, 2023*






Maple Grove Wonder of Winter event

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I hope you all had a good week! I finally got out ice-skating last weekend ? my favorite winter activity!

It was another busy week in St. Paul!? Although Minnesotans sent us here to address affordability, crime, education and eliminate the tax on social security, those bills haven?t come before us yet. Instead, the DFL Majority continues to push a number of ideological bills and pass new spending programs,

A perfect example is HF 207 [ [link removed] ], a bill we passed last night that would spend $4 million over the next two years to give $350 grants to Minnesotans to plant pollinator-friendly native plants in their lawns. I certainly support creating new pollinator habitats and the state already has significant programs promoting this through the DNR. The state does not need to subsidize Minnesotans? spring and summer plantings when there are so many more pressing needs for families and seniors, however.

Keep reading for more updates!?







Executive Summary

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*First Bill Hearing in Taxes*

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*Paid Family & Medical Leave*

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*U of M Regent Elections Coming Up*

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*School Lunch Bill*

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*Helpful Links*






First Bill Hearing in Taxes

This week I had my first bill hearing in the Taxes Committee.?HF 73 [ [link removed] ] was *first introduced by retired Rep. Jerry Hertaus,* *who represented parts of our district so well for more than a decade.?* *?*

The bill expands the existing state tax credit for Minnesota families who go through the tragedy of having a stillborn baby outside of the state. The current tax credit applies only to stillborn babies born in Minnesota. Families who live in communities that border other states sometimes do not have a hospital in their community and they receive healthcare in a neighboring state. Minnesotans who suffer a stillbirth, regardless of where the baby is born, should have access to the same tax credit to help with funeral and medical expenses, which can be significant.

The bill had bipartisan support when Rep. Hertaus carried it last year and it was included in the final version of the tax bill, which did not ultimately pass. I was honored to carry it this year and am optimistic that it will pass with bipartisan support in both chambers this year.






Paid Family & Medical Leave

HF 2 [ [link removed] ], which will be coming to the House floor in the next week or two, is the Paid Family & Medical Leave bill. While it sounds like a good idea to give families paid leave for their own medical issues or to care for a loved one, *this bill is not well-designed and will put many small businesses and jobs at risk.*

Here is what it entails:


* Requires *all* Minnesota employers to provide employees with up to *12 weeks of paid leave for personal medical reasons* and up to *12 more weeks for family care "every" year.? *
* *All employees are eligible*, including those who are part-time or seasonal, *after they have been employed for 90 days.*
* This is in addition to the up-to-80-hours of paid ?Sick and Safe Time? moving through the Legislature in a different bill (HF 19) [ [link removed] ]
* *Increases payroll taxes on all employers, regardless of size, by 0.7%*. The employer can choose to share the cost of this tax with employees by requiring them to pay 3.5% of the tax.
* Expands government bureaucracy and creates a Family and Medical Benefit Insurance Division under DEED. It is estimated that between *350-400 new bureaucrats will be hired to implement this program. *

*I have grave concerns about the impact of this bill on small businesses, city and county governments, school districts and non-profits.*


* *We already have a significant worker shortage.* This bill would allow an employee to be away from their job for up to 24 weeks each year ? 44% of a working year! Employers already can?t find enough workers and it will be very hard for them to find and pay for the replacement workers needed to cover the shifts of employees out on extended leave.
* *The bill is a one-size-fits-all mandate that applies to all employers, regardless of size.* Federal unpaid family leave programs don?t apply to businesses with 50 employees or less.
* *Minnesota businesses can?t afford another $1 billion tax increase.* This will drive many small businesses out of business and actually cause job losses in our state.

The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce says that 80% of its members already provide some form of paid family and medical leave.

*For those workers who currently don?t have any paid family or medical leave there are many ways to help without mandating significant burdens on all employers in the state.?*Other states have:


* Provided tax credits to offset the costs of paid leave;
* Created voluntary insurance pools that employees can contribute to and have a portable benefit;
* Required cost-sharing between employers and employees;
* Limited the amount of leave to 12 weeks total per year per employee.
* Limited the leave to full-time employees or employees who have worked at the company for at least one year.

There are many more flexible options we could use to address the very real concerns about paid leave.?*We must not adopt the most extreme and most expensive version, which is currently on the table, or we will risk hurting the employees and families we are trying to help by increasing costs and closing small businesses.*

This bill will crush our small businesses who are already struggling after Covid closures, inflation, supply chain, and worker shortages. *I strongly urge you to contact State Legislators and urge them to not support this bill.*?

Find your Legislator [ [link removed] ]

List of House Members [ [link removed] ]

List of Senate Members [ [link removed] ]






U of M Regent Elections Coming Up

*One of the most important decisions at the Legislature this year will be to elect new Regents to the governing board of the University of Minnesota. *The U of M is a land-grant institution that was established before Statehood, so the Legislature actually has limited authority over it. We can elect Regents and appropriate funding, but we cannot require them to take specific actions in statute like we can government agencies.

Each Congressional district has a Regent and there are 4 at-large seats. Regents serve staggered, 6-year terms, so the whole group doesn?t turn over at the same time. This year, Regents will be elected in the 2nd, 3rd, and 8th?districts and one at-large Regent will also be elected in a joint session of the Legislature sometime this month.

*I have spent many hours in the last two weeks meeting with Regent candidates *to get their views on tuition, student experience (including dorm conditions and food service), public safety, enrollment declines, the U of M?s research mission. It has been very interesting to hear their views and priorities for University. I still have a few candidates to interview and will not likely make my decisions until the Joint Convention with the Senate ? likely in the next month.






School Lunch Bill

Last night, House Democrats passed a bill to provide universal school breakfasts and lunches for every child in Minnesota.

No one wants a child to be unable to learn at school because they are hungry. This bill, however, requires schools to provide free lunches for ALL students, regardless of income, need, or even when they don?t want a school lunch!?

Paying for school breakfasts and lunches for ALL children, regardless of need, will cost *$387 million over two years.?*This is an unprecedented waste of taxpayer money and many schools don?t even want it. Instead, they would prefer to spend this money on lowering class sizes, reducing the ?cross subsidy? for special education, focusing on literacy, or retaining teachers.

It is honestly baffling why the DFL would mandate that we pay for lunches for families who don?t need the help when there are so many other areas that need funding.

I supported several amendments to increase the number of students eligible for free and reduced lunch by raising the income threshold to qualify. I also supported an amendment to instead put this $387 million on the formula to let schools decide how best to spend it in each district.

All of our amendments failed on party lines and now taxpayer will be on the hook for *$387 million over two years* to pay for school meals for kids who don?t need them.

*Instead of helping families who are struggling, Democrats one-size-fits-all plan misses the mark to really help students who are in need.?*






Helpful Links

*Campus Safety Coalition:?*The Campus Safety Coalition is a new organization aiming to ensure colleges and universities are safe for students, staff, and the surrounding communities.?It was founded last summer by one of my constituents who was very concerned about safety at the University of Minnesota, but it has quickly grown and is spreading to other states. You can learn more here. [ [link removed] ]?

*Youth at Work Competitive Grant:?*The Dept. of Employment & Economic Development (DEED) is seeking proposals from qualified organizations to provide workforce development and employment training opportunities to economically disadvantaged or at-risk youth ages 14-24 through the Youth at Work Competitive Grant program.?You can learn more and apply by selecting 'Minnesota Youth at Competitive Work Grant' here. [ [link removed] ]?






Photos

Meeting with Marvin Johnson

Had a great meeting with Mayor Marvin Johnson from Independence this week when he was at the Capitol to discuss farmers mutual insurance issues! Marv is an inspiration - he is everywhere and always serving others!

Robbins with Drs. Colby and Schultz

Great meeting with these high-energy business owners and community leaders!I have know the amazing Dr. Leah Colby of EyeWest Vision Clinic for several years and it was great to meet Dr. Jill Schultz of Bright Eyes Vision Clinic! Thanks for coming to St. Paul to advocate for your patients and profession!






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 mulitple times/week.

Have a great weekend!

?

Kristin











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239 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806







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