It’s another busy week at the Minnesota Legislature as the first committee deadline is coming up on Friday. We kicked off the week with Raye Perez, a TakeAction leader from St. Cloud testifying in support of #PaidSickDaysMN. Read their story to learn more. Here are some policy items we’re tracking this week:
COVID Relief and Recovery
Paid Emergency Sick Leave for Essential Workers (HF41) continues to move at the Capitol. It will be heard on Wednesday at 3:00 PM and provides emergency paid sick leave to essential workers unable to work or telecommute due to a COVID-19 related reason.
Paid Time to Care
Earned Sick and Safe Time (HF7) which allows workers to accrue up to 48 hours of paid sick time cleared Judiciary Committee. Paid Family & Medical Leave (HF1200) gets another hearing in House Commerce on Tuesday at 3:00 PM.
Lowering Prescription Drug Costs
The Prescription Drug Affordability Board (HF801) will be heard in House State Government committee at 6:00 PM on Wednesday. When it comes to policies addressing out of control prescription drug costs, not all bills are equally impactful. The Board, however, is the number one recommendation made by the Attorney General’s Task Force on Lowering Pharmaceutical Drug Costs. TakeAction also supports HF1183 that will stop price-gouging of generic and off-patent prescription drugs.
Health and Health Care
On Monday at 1:00 PM the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services will hear SF 735, which would expand Medical Assistance eligibility for pregnant women from the current 60 to 365 days postpartum. On Wednesday at 3:00 PM the House Health committee will hear HF 520, which would require health plans to include coverage for contraceptive methods and services with no cost-sharing requirements. It would also require health plans, medical assistance, and MinnesotaCare to cover up to 12 months of prescription contraceptives.
Climate
Over a dozen climate and clean energy bills are making their way through the Legislature this year including hearings on solar energy in House Climate and Energy Finance and Policy at 10:30 on Tuesday.
On a regional level, the 100% Campaign flagged for us that on Wednesday, the Met Council is expected to vote on spending $122 million to buy 143 biodiesel buses after committing in 2018 to go to a 100% electric bus fleet by 2040. If you live in the seven-county metro, call or write your Met Council member this weekend and ask them to support this.
Additional important hearings being held at the Capitol this week:
- On Wednesday at 3:00 the Senate Committee on Education will hear SF 966, which allows local school boards to consider the community’s religious observance when adopting their annual school calendar.
- Democracy for the People (HF9) on March 9 at 3:00 p.m.
- On Thursday at 1:00 the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform committee will hear three bills to reform law enforcement practices, including prohibiting the use of arrest quotas and requiring chief law enforcement officers to report officer misconduct to the state standards and training board.
- On Friday at 10:30 the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform committee will hear three more bills to reform law enforcement practices. One would give the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe concurrent authority to exercise law enforcement duties; one would prohibit local agencies from acquiring certain military grade weapons, and; one would require a police officer who observes excessive force to report the incident.
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