Legislative Update
COVID-19
Last week, the legislature voted unanimously in the House and Senate to approve emergency funding for the Department of Health to continue their response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The bill included protections for taxpayers that will require money to be paid back to the general fund if it goes unspent. The legislature is considering additional steps to ensure our state and health care system can respond as quickly and effectively as possible — Minnesotans should have confidence that legislators, the governor, and state agencies are working closely based on the expert recommendations of the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control.
As this situation unfolds, social media could be rife with misinformation so please continue to rely only on information from trusted sources. Your best sources for up-to-date information are the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) websites.
MDH: COVID-19 Home Page
MDH: Prepare and Prevent COVID-19
MDH: Situation Update for COVID-19
CDC: COVID-19 Home Page
CDC: COVID-19 FAQ
Disaster Contingency Funding
Last Thursday, the House unanimously passed $30 million for the Disaster Contingency Account. This account allows the Governor to quickly respond to natural disasters while the Legislature is out of session. Disasters often need an immediate response, which leaves no time to call a special session. I was proud to support this bill to support local communities in the face of future natural disasters.
Transit Ambassadors
Last week, the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform committee heard a bill that would institute a “Transit Ambassador Program” to increase safety on the Light Rail. The bill would cost over a million dollars to fund 10 FTEs for one year, even though the program itself would only run for 6 months. In addition, the program would only fund 6 transit ambassadors. The other 4 employees would be a manager, a supervisor, and 2 analysts.
This bill would do nothing to reduce crime on the Light Rail. It would only provide hefty salaries to even more government bureaucrats. I do not support this bill, and I will vote against it if it comes up for a vote in the future.
Bill to Ban Taxpayer-Funded Abortion Introduced
From Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life:
"The legislation, H.F. 4404 / H.F. 4403 and S.F. 4271, is authored by Rep. Marion O'Neill (R-Maple Lake) and Sen. Carrie Ruud (R-Breezy Point). It would challenge a 1995 state Supreme Court decision, Doe v. Gomez, that requires Medicaid funding of abortion for pregnant women who receive state assistance.
MCCL and pro-life lawmakers have frequently sought to stop this unjust use of taxpayer dollars. In 2011 and 2017, (the only two bienniums with Republican control of the legislature since the MN Supreme Court ruling) a ban on taxpayer-funded abortion passed through the Legislature, but it was vetoed both times by then-Gov. Mark Dayton (DFL)."
If you're interested in reading more about my bill, click HERE.
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