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October 29, 2021

Executive Summary

• Remote Session to Continue into 2022
• National School Board Association Letter & Retraction 
• Inflation & Supply Chain, Labor Shortage 
• Xcel Proposes 21% Rate Increase
• Hennepin Homeownership Preservation Program
• Veterans Career Fair — November 3 in Brooklyn Center

Remote Sessions to Continue into 2022

Last week, Speaker Melissa Hortman announced the Minnesota House will continue remote operation through the 2022 regular session. This means all Committee hearings will be held via zoom and the State Office Building, where our offices are, will remain closed to the public and our staff. Keeping Members from interacting with each other and citizens shut out from meeting with legislators and engaging in the Committee process in person for another year is not necessary and is not good for the democratic process.

I’m very disappointed with this decision. Almost all of the Committee rooms are large enough for Members to be there in person, even allowing for social distancing. I think all Committees should be in person—for staff and Members—and allow the public to choose whether to testify in person or remotely. 

If the current trends hold, it appears that the virus will have faded significantly by January 31st, when we go back into session. My understanding is that the Senate Offices will be open to the public and staff and that they will be conducting committees in a hybrid model. I do not know why the House cannot do the same.

I believe the public has less faith in government than when we went remote in March 2020. Continuing to limit access to the House of Representatives after nearly two years of remote work will harm both our effectiveness and the public’s ability to follow and participate in the legislative process.

I truly hope that with the fading of the delta variant and improvement in Minnesota's situation, the decision will be reconsidered by the Speaker and we return to normal operations in the House on January 31, 2022.

National School Board Association Letter & Retraction

So many of you reached out with concern regarding the position of Minnesota School Boards on the letter by National School Board Assocation (NSBA) asking for the Biden Administration’s assistance to “investigate, intercept, and prevent the current threats and acts of violence against our public school officials through existing statutes, executive authority, interagency and intergovernmental task forces, and other extraordinary measures,” and asking for expedited review to classify these acts as domestic terrorism and hate crimes. The original letter is available here. 

This letter justifiably caused an uproar among parents concerned for their children's schooling, especially after the last year plus of disruptions. Parents have a right to have their voices heard regarding their children's education without fear of prosecution by government agencies. The outcry regarding this letter led to a retraction by the NSBA — a copy of that retraction is below. 

I asked the MSBA their thoughts on the original letter and the retraction. A representative with the group informed me the MSBA was a key group pushing for retraction of the original letter. 

I join so many of you who were incredibly frustrated by attempts to silence or bully parents or label them as domestic terrorists for standing up for their students. I hope the NSBA take another step and apologizes to parents for these comments. 

Inflation & Supply Chain, Labor Shortage 

Minnesota families and businesses still struggling to recover from the COVID-related closures and they are getting squeezed more by record inflation.

According to Trading Economics, the annual inflation rate in the US increased to a 13-year high of 5.4% in September of 2021.This was up from 5.3% in August and above market expectations.

The main drivers were in the cost of shelter (3.2% vs 2.8% in August); food (4.6% vs 3.7%; the highest since December of 2011), including food at home (4.5% vs 3%); new vehicles (8.7% vs 7.6%); and energy (24.8% vs 25%).

This high inflation is driven by many factors, but two of them are the large increases in government spending and the pandemic closures, which led to significant global supply chain disruptions. The shortages in raw materials and finished goods, as well as the shortage of truckers and workers at ports, warehouses, and distribution centers is driving up costs.

Policymakers need to be laser focused on helping people get back into the labor force by reducing barriers to entry and providing training opportunities for those who want to go into the much-needed supply chain careers like trucking, warehouse workers, and more. I continue to have conversations with businesses and workers about this in our district every day and welcome you to share your ideas!

Xcel Proposed 21% rate increase

As noted above, energy inflation is already up 24.8% and last week Xcel Energy requested a 21% rate increase — see announcement from Xcel Energy.

According to the filing, “On average, the proposed final rate change … would increase the bill for a typical residential electric customer by $18.56 per month or $222.67 per year.” Minnesota families cannot afford this increase and I hope many people will speak out during the public comment period.

Here’s a link to a recent St. Paul Pioneer Press article which spells out what the rate increase would be used for and how it would be phased in.

 Although the formal Public Comment period hasn’t opened yet for what will be known “Docket 21-630,”  you can share your written comments now filling out this comment form or by emailing consumer.puc@state.mn.us

Hennepin Homeownership Preservation Program

Hennepin County residents who have fallen behind on their mortgage due to COVID-19 have the opportunity to take part in a program, the Hennepin Homeownership Preservation Program (HHPP) – a joint effort by the Minnesota Homeownership Center, the City of Minneapolis, and Hennepin County intended to offer financial and technical support to homeowners in Hennepin County who are behind in mortgage payments as a result of the COVID-19 recession.

This program is continuing to operate, and is actively seeking out candidates who may benefit from the services and resources the program provides in order to stay out of foreclosure.

Here is a one-pager fact sheet on the program. You can also  reach out for assistance directly to https://www.hocmn.org/HennepinHPP/ or 651-236-8952.

Veterans Career Fair — November 3

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) invite veterans, current service members, their spouses, and Gold Star families to attend the 15th annual Veterans Career Fair. The Minnesota Veterans Career Fair will take place on November 3 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center. Employers participating in the event are encouraged to offer full-time positions with family-sustaining wages and benefits.

The Veterans Career Fair is part of the State of Minnesota’s efforts to honor veterans during the month of November. A total of 98 employers are taking part in the Minnesota Veterans Career Fair, including the event’s premier exhibitors: Andersen Corp/Renewal by Andersen; Arvig; Carousel Motor Group;  Land O'Lakes, Inc; Nuss Truck & Equipment; Pepsi Beverage Company; Sherwin Williams; Stratasys; Tennant Company; and Weiss Builders. Organizations that provide employment, education and other services for veterans are also participating.  

There is no cost for job seekers to attend this event and no registration is required. Job seeker attendees are eligible to enter a drawing for one of 50 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) gift cards ($100 value) that can be used to purchase Minnesota DNR park fees, camping or gifts. Find out more and see a list of participating employers at CareerForceMN.com/VeteransCareerFair. 

DEED, through CareerForce Veterans Employment Services, offers career exploration, assistance transferring military skills to civilian jobs, resume writing and other specialized employment services. Find out more at CareerForceMN.com/Veterans.  

Photos

It was a fun morning at the Maple Grove Lions breakfast on Sunday! It was great to reconnect with so many people and support all the wonderful things the Lions do in our community!

Grateful for the opportunity to tour Headway Emotional Health with my colleagues last Friday! I appreciate the opportunity to learn about your work with students and the great discussion!

Great turnout at the Senior Fair in Rogers last week! A lot of great resources for seniors and many fun upcoming events! 🍁

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 House is adjourned until January 31, 2022.  The best way to reach me is by email: rep.kristin.robbins@house.mn. 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 a couple of times/week.

Have a great weekend!

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