Busy first two weeks!

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February 21, 2020

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

The 2020 Legislature has been back in session for two weeks - it has been a blur of activity!  Last week we had our opening session and then spent a day in bipartisanship workshops at the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota to prepare for the session. Committees are in also in full swing, working hard to pass bills before the first committee deadline on March 20th.

I am once again serving on the Jobs & Economic Development Finance Committee, the Health & Human Services Policy Committee and the Civil Law & Judiciary Finance Committee. We have already had multiple substantive hearings, including an update from Department of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner Jodi Harpstead on her efforts to reform the management procedures at that troubled agency.

Executive Summary

• Commissioner of DHS Jodi Harpstead reports progress on management reforms but the inability to hold individuals accountable for mismanagement or to find for the Department to repay the overpayments is frustrating.
• House Republicans unveiled a package of public safety reform proposals aimed at improving the safety of all Minnesotans who use public transit or live in, work, or visit the Twin Cities. 
• I co-authored a bill to ensure that rape kits are now logged, tracked and tested so victims can get justice instead of evidence being lost or backlogged for years.
• Every day I get to meet with the many constituents who come to the Capitol to share their concerns about various issues!  These meetings are always the highlight of my day and I learn so much.

DHS Update with Commissioner Harpstead

I was pleased that Commissioner Harpstead finally came before our HHS Policy Committee so we could have the opportunity to ask questions and attempt to fulfill our oversight responsibilities. Commissioner Harpstead has a very difficult job cleaning up a damaged agency and I think everyone on the Committee is grateful for her willingness to take on this enormous job and we all want her to succeed.

Her update was encouraging - they are making significant process improvements and reorganizing the department to have better lines of accountability and communication. They have made important changes to the payments process, including requiring three approvals/signatures before a payment is made. Many of these process reforms are standard practice in the private sector and it is still surprising how few "best practices" were being utilized at the Department. 

The hearing was not without several points of frustration, however. Due to time constraints, each member was only supposed to ask one question (and one follow-up on the same topic), which significantly limited our ability to dig into the details. I have several lines of questions I wanted to pursue and plan to follow-up with written questions to the Department.

It was also very disheartening to hear— again— that the leadership at the Department doesn't feel it is necessary to hold any individuals accountable for the mismanagement that occurred. Bad process is still the result of individuals making bad decisions or not following responsible practices. The Department clearly has no intention of holding anyone accountable and has moved on to the "reform" stage. I'm concerned that reforms won't work if people know they will not be held accountable for their actions.

It was also concerning to hear Commissioner Harpstead and some of my Democrat colleagues state that the Department cannot repay the overpayments with its own funds. Instead arguing that since the Legislature has set their budget, DHS lacks the authority to spend the money differently and they will need to either recoup the money from those who received the overpayments (counties/tribes) or from the state. In either scenario, taxpayers are expected to pay more for mistakes and mismanagement at DHS. 

I will continue to look for ways we can recoup the money from DHS' budget and try to bring meaningful accountability and incentives to new processes that are being put in place.

Safety in Our Cities 

In response to a rise in violent crime on Metro Transit vehicles and in many parts of the Twin Cities, we rolled out a package of proposals at the Capitol on Monday aimed at improving public safety in Minnesota communities.

On top over news reports of increased crime, over the past few weeks the legislature has heard testimony from light-rail operators who are having to work in unacceptably dangerous conditions. This testimony put a bright light on the serious safety issues for workers and riders of light rail transit.

All Minnesotans should feel safe going to work, the airport, or a ballgame or a play downtown. We have come forward with solutions to get the conversation started on how to address the rise in violent crime our cities are facing.

Proposals announced Monday include bills to:

• Increase enforcement of fare evasion, increase sworn officers for Metro Transit police, and install interactive cameras on light rail platforms;
• Boost penalties for gang members who use firearms in commission of a crime. Currently, prosecutors are not pursuing gun charges against criminals who commit crimes using guns because the penalty level is not high enough;
• Boost funding for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) for gang and drug trafficking efforts;
• Would require cities with regional or statewide sports and entertainment facilities to have adequate law enforcement, or risk losing Local Government Aid (LGA) from the state; and 
• Would prohibit cities from disarming officers in good standing.

Taken together, the bills target many of the issues driving crime in the Metro area, including gang and drug trafficking activity, as well as the need for additional officers and tools for law enforcement to combat crime on the Light Rail and in communities.

Rep. Robbins with Lt Bob Kroll and House Republicans at Safety in Our Ciites Press Conference

Ensuring Rape Kits are Tested and Tracked

I was honored to join my colleagues on Tuesday at a bipartisan press conference on HF 2983, which includes mandatory testing of all unrestricted rape kits, which are kits that the victim gave permission to test, centralized storage and a 30 month retention period for all restricted rape kits, and an online database where victims can check the status of their kit and give consent to have their kit tested to start the process of filing a criminal case.

Victims should not be left wondering if their kit will be tested, and no perpetrator should get away with rape because law enforcement agencies have left an unrestricted kit untested. This is a strong step forward in support of victims and their advocates.

HF 2983 is supported by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

Bipartisan group of legislators stand together at press conference on bill to ensure rape kits are tested.

Photos 

Rep. Robbins on first day of session

Rep. Robbins meeting with constituents

Rep. Robbins meeting with Pro-Life Leaders

Rep. Robbins with Osseo Area Learning Center Students

Rep. Robbins meeting with Athletic Trainers for their day at the capitol

Rep. Robbins meeting with Pharmacy Students on their day at the Capitol

Rep. Robbins meeting with more Pharmacy Students on their day at the Capitol

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. My office phone number is 651-296-7806 or by email at rep.kristin.robbins@house.mn. My office is located on the second floor of the State Office Building in room 225.

Have a great weekend!

Kristin

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