Dear Neighbors, Monday marked the last day of the regular legislative session, but several budget bills still need to be passed. While there has been bipartisan progress, Republicans continue to focus on attacking healthcare access, and rolling back worker protections and other rights, such as Earned Sick & Safe Time, Paid Family Medical Leave, the nursing home workforce standards board, and changing the definition of “family” as an attack on trans people. I have been vocal against changing any of these things. I also realize there is a need to fund state government and avoid a shutdown. These demands from Republicans have led to a frustrating week when we should’ve been focused on the state budget. As many of you know, I try to get out a weekly newsletter during the legislative session. This year has had its own unique challenges that have pulled me in more directions than I have experienced in previous years, so apologies for not getting one out in the past couple of weeks. That means that this one will be extra long. As some people like to say: “Buckle up!” Healthcare Access Last week, Governor Walz and legislative leaders reached a budget agreement, and a condition of Republican cooperation meant removing healthcare access from our undocumented adult neighbors. I want to be very clear, I will not vote in support of any bill that has that provision in it. Right now there are people who receive insulin, cancer treatment, and other care that keeps them alive that will abruptly stop. Republicans have been framing this as a budget saving measure, and saying things like “cry harder”. If people need financial reasons to oppose this then here are a few: - First, our undocumented neighbors contribute to our economy. In 2022 they contributed $222 million to our state's budget.
- Second, healthcare in an emergency room setting is significantly more expensive than primary care. When uninsured people (regardless of immigration status) need care, that is where they go, creating a financial burden on our hospitals. In 2023, there was more than $350 million worth of uncompensated care. Removing undocumented adults from MinnesotaCare will make that number go up and impact our rural hospitals the most.
- Finally, the idea that allowing our undocumented neighbors to access MinnesotaCare will cost Minnesota $600+ million dollars is wildly inaccurate, as it has only cost $3.3 million as of this last April.
Well worth it when you look at the bigger picture. Negotiations With that high-level budget deal being reached by state leaders, it came down to the individual Republican and Democrat committee chairs to work through the details, but something odd kept coming up and stalling our progress. When Democrat chairs would try to negotiate, their Republican counterparts would bring up some of those worker protections, saying they wouldn't agree to anything unless those issues were on the table. It happened enough times that Democrats asked why they keep bringing up those issues. Many of the Republicans said that they were told by their leadership to keep fighting for them. As someone with a union background, I know the importance of negotiating in good faith, and the best way to find a compromise is to be honest. When a leader agrees to something and then has their subordinates continue to fight against that deal, it breaks trust. Lack of negotiating in good faith also impacts our ability to finish on time - which we saw these last few days. Bonding When it comes to negotiations on a Bonding Bill with our Capital Investment team, I am grateful to House Republicans who have been willing to meet and try to craft a bill we can all accept. Where frustration comes in here is that Senate Republicans have walked away from negotiations. They are unwilling to meet unless their demands for policy changes unrelated to bonding are met. House Republicans, along with House and Senate Democrats and the Governor’s office, will continue to meet. Here's hoping Senate Republicans decide to show back up by the time a special session starts. Stay Connected Even with the regular session over, the work continues and a special session is on the horizon. To stay in the loop these remaining days, the Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services will once again be offering nonpartisan recaps of high-profile bills, committee hearings, and floor sessions with their Session Daily publication. Subscribe to receive these here. To track bills of interest through the legislative process, I encourage you to utilize the MyBills feature on the Minnesota House of Representatives’ website. You can also visit my House of Representatives website. I welcome your questions and comments anytime. You can send an email to rep.luke.frederick@house.mn.gov or call me at (651) 296-3248. Also, please visit and “like” my Facebook page for more Capitol and community updates. Thank you for the privilege of representing you in the legislature. Sincerely, Luke Frederick State Representative |