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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It has been a long week in St. Paul, but we are making progress on the budget. By the end of weekend, the majority of budget bills should be wrapped up. It is highly unlikely there will be a government shut-down, which is good for all of us! Keep reading to learn about my priorities as we complete the budget.
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Executive Summary
- Budget Priorities
- Deal on Emergency Powers?
- Helpful Links
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Budget Priorities
The House has so far passed the Housing; Commerce, Climate, and Energy Finance; Higher Education; Agriculture and Broadband Grant; Transportation Finance and Policy; and Legacy omnibus bills. Today (Friday) we will vote on the Jobs and Environment omnibus bills. On Saturday, we will take up the Education and Health and Human Services bills, as well as a bonding corrections bill. That leaves the Public Safety and Tax bills for next week. We must complete all of the budget bills by Wednesday, June 30th, which is the end of the state’s fiscal year.
My two biggest priorities for the Special Session have been ending the Governor's emergency powers and extending reinsurance. You can read my op/ed on reinsurance on page 4 of the Maple Grove Press e-edition here. Scroll down to find my column near the bottom left corner.
I assumed we would have some sort of global “deal” on these two issues before the final votes would be taken on the various budget bills, similar to the “deal” announced at the end of regular session. Unfortunately, as I write, those two issues are still not resolved, even though we have been passing major portions of the budget in these individual bills.
Although I support some of the items in these bills, I believe our only leverage is to vote against the budget bills until these two issues are resolved. I will continue to vote against the individual budget bill until we have set the end date for emergency powers and extended reinsurance for another year.
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Deal on Emergency Powers?
It is clear that the COVID emergency is over. This week, MDH announced they would stop holding regular media briefings (they had not held one in two weeks) and close the pop-up testing sites in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Bloomington. COVID-19 no longer poses the risk it once did. The Governor no longer needs his emergency powers and it is time to end the one-man rule and restore the legislature's role as a co-equal branch of government.
As I write this on the House floor, social media is reporting the Governor will relinquish his emergency powers on August 1st and the Senate is offering an amendment to end them on July 1st. I am hopeful that this issue will be resolved in writing this weekend and we can end the Special Session with a restoration of the Constitutional balance of powers in our state.
I hope you all have a lovely weekend! The Capitol is open if you happen to be in St. Paul and want to come and watch us debate in person. I love seeing visitors in the Capitol again!
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Helpful Links
MN Tax Law Changes: Stay up to date with changes to Minnesota tax law by subscribing to the MN Department of Revenue's e-updates.
RentHelpMN: For those struggling to pay their rent or utilities because of COVID-19, make sure to visit RentHelpMN to apply for assistance.
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Photos
The House gave a standing ovation to members of the crew of the USS Minneapolis St. Paul, who visited the Capitol on Thursday.
We were able to meet with the crew on the steps of the Capitol after Session adjourned.
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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: rep.kristin.robbins@house.mn. You can also leave a voicemail on my office number, 651-296-7806, which is checked a couple of times/day.
Have a great weekend!
Kristin
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225 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806 |
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