Liz's 2023 Legislative Wrap Up

Dear Friend,

Because of you, the Minnesota Legislature was able to make the 2023 legislative session a year of transformational progress. Thank you to all who went to the polls, came to the Capitol, and showed up when it mattered most.

During this year’s legislative session, we codified reproductive freedom, passed legislation to protect the LGBTQIA2S+ community, expanded access to healthcare, invested in infrastructure, strengthened worker protections, advanced climate sustainability, expanded voting rights, funded education, and so much more. I’m proud to see the passage of the monumental achievements that had initially inspired me to run for office: advancing racial equity and justice, promoting climate sustainability, and ultimately making sure we care for one another. 

Over the next several weeks, I will be sending you detailed descriptions of my accomplishments this year, with information about the bills I lead-authored (marked with ^), co-authored (marked with *), or supported. Because there is so much information to share, today I’m going to begin by focusing on:

• healthcare affordability and accessibility,
• protecting reproductive freedom, 
• rights for the LGBTQIA2S+ community,
• addressing the needs of seniors, and 
• supporting people with disabilities.

Affordable & Accessible Healthcare 

• Ending predatory practices in medical debt collection, including prohibiting private hospitals from seizing a patient’s tax refund to cover their medical debt.^
• Removing network access barriers for
  diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases, while also securing ongoing funding for the Minnesota Rare Disease Advisory Council.^
• Requiring health plans to cover biomarker testing for detecting, monitoring, and treating illness or disease.^
• Mandating hospitals to screen patients for eligible health coverage or payment assistance and provide help for applying to these programs.^
• Directing the Commissioner of Health to analyze the benefits and costs of a proposed universal health care financing system.^
• Addressing the high medication costs by prohibiting price gouging of generic drugs sold in our state and establishing a new Prescription Drug Affordability Board to investigate and stop the rising costs of prescription medication.*
• Enabling persons with undocumented immigration status to apply for MinnesotaCare.

Reproductive Freedom

• Expanding funding for family planning services.^
• Increasing reimbursement for abortion and other reproductive health services.^
• Establishing abortion rights and reproductive freedom as guaranteed legal rights codified in the Minnesota Constitution with the PRO Act.
• Repealing outdated abortion regulations and restrictions on care to protect and encourage safe and autonomous reproductive healthcare. 

Protections for Our LGBTQIA2S+ Community

• Establishing Minnesota as a refuge state for young people seeking gender-affirming care, meaning they and their family cannot face legal repercussions from other states for receiving care.*
• Banning the dangerous and unethical practice of conversion therapy.*
• Updating the Minnesota Human Rights Act to reflect a more inclusive definition of “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” and affirm that a person’s gender identity is a protected class.*

Looking Out for Seniors

• Broadening the exemption for taxation on social security so that seniors making less than $100,000 annually for joint filers and $78,000 for single filers will have their social security fully exempted from state income taxation. As a result, 76% of seniors will pay no taxes on their Social Security income. 
• Investing $300 million in nursing homes with nursing facility grants, workforce incentives and leveraging federal Medicaid funds for increased daily rate reimbursement. 
• Committing an additional $412 million to the Elderly Waiver program for community-based services for low-income seniors in assisted living.
• Developing financing for a program of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) to provide comprehensive medical and social services for older adults.^

Rights, Services, and Funding for People with Disabilities

• Adopting recommendations of the Advisory Task Force on State Employment and Retention of Employees with Disabilities to support state employees with disabilities.^ 
• Increasing the amount of reimbursable hours for family caregivers.^
• Establishing a rate increase for behavioral health providers to develop the mental health workforce and increase availability of services.^ 
• Increases in rates for workers in nursing homes, residential care facilities, and community based care to provide a living wage
• Providing additional funding for HIV/AIDS support services

These pieces of legislation are already starting to benefit Burnsville and Eagan and improve the lives of all Minnesotans. But the progress doesn’t stop here; there’s much to do, and I can’t wait to get to work next session. 

Until then, I’ll be working hard to gear up for next year’s election. All of these accomplishments are only possible because of your ongoing support. Now we must come together to keep this seat in DFL hands and to keep the trifecta in 2024. Will you consider making a meaningful contribution today? It is because of your time, energy, hard work, and donations that we have been able to pass such monumental legislation that will have huge impacts on the lives of people in Burnsville and Eagan. 

All the best,
Liz

Dear Neighbor, 

Thank you again for the privilege of working to achieve great things for our state and local community. This week, I’d like to share with you the important work we did at the Capitol this session to strengthen our community building blocks. Here are some more detailed descriptions of our accomplishments this year, with information about the bills I lead-authored (marked with ^), co-authored (marked with *), or supported. This time I’ll focus on:

• supporting children and families,
• improving education from early childhood to higher learning,
• developing and sustaining affordable housing, and
• advancing public safety.
   

Supporting Children and Families

• Minnesota has a brand new nation-leading Child & Working Family Tax Credit of up to $1,175 per child, estimated to reduce child poverty by one-third.
• Childcare funding has been increased in order to allow centers to keep staff and pay operating expenses.
• All school-aged children are now guaranteed free lunch and breakfast regardless of family income.
• The Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA) was strengthened with enhanced child welfare protections and divorced from its reliance on the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) to preserve its longevity.
• We dedicated $3.5 million in state funding for WE WIN Institute to obtain and equip a permanent location to continue promoting positive academic and life outcomes for students of color. ^

Improving Education from Early Childhood to Higher Learning

• Public school funding will now be indexed to inflation so that schools do not see a decline in real resources available to educate our kids.
• Civics, personal finance, and genocide studies are now included in high school curricula.*
• Schools may not prohibit an American Indian student from wearing American Indian regalia or objects of cultural significance at graduation ceremonies.*
• Low-income Minnesotan students are now eligible for free tuition at public colleges. 
• $30 million dollars is dedicated to special education teacher recruitment and retention. 

Developing and Sustaining Affordable Housing

• $1 billion dollars has been committed to addressing affordable and accessible housing. This includes $46 million for a rental assistance program, $100 million for a first-generation homebuyer program, $90 million for community stabilization grants to preserve affordable housing, and over $65 million in funding for homelessness prevention.*
• We’ve made a record-setting $72 million investment in rehabilitation funds for public housing in the bonding bill.^
• By banning dog breed bans for homeowners insurance, we've made access to housing more equitable.^

Advancing Public Safety

• $300 million in funding has been allocated to local, county, and tribal governments for public safety.
• We’re working to reduce gun violence with universal criminal background checks for handgun purchases* and extreme-risk protection orders.
• No-knock search warrants are now significantly limited to protect the rights and safety of both civilians and law enforcement. 
• Private prisons are now prohibited to eliminate the profitability of mass incarceration. 

Thank you for your engagement, support, and advocacy. Your help has been and continues to be critical to our successes in the legislature. As we begin to see the valuable impacts of this legislation across our state, I hope you will consider contributing to support our work. 

All the best,

Liz

Dear Neighbor,

Happy October! This week is the House Capital Investment Bonding Tour in Southeastern Minnesota, so it seemed appropriate to share updates from last session focused on investments we made in our state’s long-term structural well-being. Here are some more detailed descriptions of our accomplishments this year, with information about the bills I lead-authored (marked with ^), co-authored (marked with *), or supported. Today, I’d like to tell you about the following:

• investing in our transportation and infrastructure
• making advancements in fighting climate change, clean energy, preserving the environment, and in public health
• and fortifying labor and our workforce.

Investing in Transportation and Infrastructure

• We passed the largest infrastructure bill in state history, investing $2.6 billion for state agencies, counties, cities, universities, and nonprofits to use to acquire land, build roads, upgrade trails, repair roofs, provide clean water, take care of waste disposal, and more.
• We now have numerous mechanisms to reliably fund transportation systems and infrastructure across the state.
• All Minnesota residents can now obtain a driver’s license regardless of immigration status.
• We are supporting municipalities with funding the statewide replacement of all lead service lines from drinking water systems by 2033.*

Improvements in Climate Change, Clean Energy, the Environment, and Public Health

• We have committed our state to achieving 100% carbon-free electricity by 2024 and are investing in renewable, clean energy sources like wind, solar, hydroelectric, and more. 
• In response to the growing pressure from the climate crisis, we adapted building standards for state-funded projects to incorporate climate resilience. ^
• The restoration of the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENTRF) has been approved for the 2024 general election ballot for voters to determine whether to extend the dedication of lottery proceeds to our state’s natural resources through 2050.
• Minnesota is now the third state in the country to mandate the Pollution Control Agency to consider the cumulative impacts of environmental pollution in issuing permits to mitigate disproportionate health impacts on historically targeted neighborhoods with higher rates of poverty and residents of color.*
• PFAS, perfluoroalkyl, and polyfluoroalkyl substances are now banned in all non-essential cases, including juvenile products, personal care products, and cookware. 
• We established a grant program for installing solar energy generating systems on public buildings, modeled after the very successful Solar on Schools program. ^

Fortifying Labor and Our Workforce

• Beginning in 2026, nearly all Minnesotans will have access to paid family and medical leave, ensuring workers will not risk their employment to take care of a sick family member or recover from a health condition.*
• Hourly wage education workers are now eligible for unemployment insurance to encourage higher recruitment and retention of school employees.* 
• Minnesota workers can now accumulate one hour of time off for every 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours each year for sick and safe time.

I’m incredibly grateful for your support. It’s because of your support that we are able to see such powerful investments in the long-term success of our state. I’m running for re-election to make sure that we can keep building on this incredible progress. Please consider contributing to help keep this work going!

All the best,
Liz

Dear Friend,

There is much for us to be grateful for this time of year that I'd like to share with you. At the same time, I can't ignore the world events traumatizing communities and turning people against each other. I invite you to join me in refusing to demonize whole populations, speaking up against injustice, and, as you are able, contributing to funds that focus on the human needs of all people involved in these tragedies. 
 

As I reflect on the world around us, I find myself placing even more importance on hope, gratitude, and embracing one another as we approach 2024. I therefore would like to conclude this year’s legislative updates by lifting up actions here in Minnesota that will help make our state a better place for everyone in our communities. To this end, I’ll focus on legislation that expands and protects voting rights, legalizes recreational cannabis, and invests in the public through tax policy. While these areas of legislation can seem a bit dry at times, I can’t overstate just how important they are.
 

We expanded and protected voting rights, making our elections more secure and more accessible for voters. From pre-registering 16- and 17-year-olds to restoring the right to vote for felons after time served, tens of thousands of Minnesotans will be added to our electorate. We’ve made voting easier for citizens by allowing voter registration with driver's license renewal and have also strongly regulated and restricted the political activities and financial contributions of foreign-influenced corporations.
 

We legalized the recreational use of cannabis in the state of Minnesota for adults aged 21 and older. The new commercial industry is set up to economically benefit those who have historically been disadvantaged by cannabis prohibition, and all former criminal records for minor marijuana convictions are being expunged. The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management is established to help our state navigate this exciting and progressive transition.
 

We instituted the largest tax cuts in state history, complete with specifically targeted aids and credits to help where it’s most needed. Minnesota has a brand new nation-leading Child & Working Family Tax Credit of up to $1,175 per child, which is estimated to reduce child poverty by one-third. Cities and counties will receive increased financial aid in order to reduce their reliance on property taxes for providing local services, including a 30% increase in state funding for Dakota County. And property tax refunds for both renters and homeowners were increased by about 20%.

I am exceptionally proud to represent our community, and these accomplishments are testament to our commitment to each other. I hope that as we reflect on the past year, you will join me in looking ahead to all that we can continue to work for. These achievements do not come easily; I hope you will be able to support my reelection so that we can continue this fundamentally important work.
 

Please stay tuned for future ways to share your vision for our community and state as we head into the next year of this biennium. Wishing you and yours happiness and wellness in the days ahead.
 

Until next time,

Liz