Dear Neighbors,
Spring has sprung! I hope you have been enjoying the beautiful weather. We are in the final stretch of the legislative session as we are required by the Minnesota Constitution to be done on May 19th.
While several bills have passed, we will likely be called to a special session to finish. This is disappointing but not at all surprising. This is standard for a divided government, especially when we don’t have the budget forecast for which we base the budget until March. The real work of crafting the budget does not begin until after that forecast.
When the special session will happen and how long it will last depends on a number of factors. My hope is that we will only need an extra day or two to wrap things up. Stay tuned for future developments.
Legislative Activity
As we are working on our state budget, we have passed several bills, including the Public Safety and Judiciary bill. This bill, which I helped craft as co-chair of the Public Safety Committee and member of the conference committee, passed the House 131-3.
In addition to funding important public safety work – like the staff who work at our corrections facilities and those who work in crime labs to process evidence – we were able to provide funding for law enforcement to continue important training on items like use-of-force, conflict management, and autism.
Support for victims of crimes was my top priority this year, and we put additional funds toward victim services. Programs that serve victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and general crime are at a crisis point. A substantial source of their funding comes from federal sources which have been unstable over the years. In addition, the Trump administration has cut or threatened to cut other federal funding sources these programs rely on. Organizations that provide services to victims of crime are vital to public safety in Minnesota.
Other individual bills in this larger package of bills include my bill to protect confidential communications between domestic violence victims and their advocates, protections against financial exploitation of vulnerable adults, increased penalties for human trafficking, transfer of fraud investigations to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, increased penalties for exposure of children to fentanyl, creation of a crime of AI child sexual abuse materials, and expanded crime alerts for missing people who have cognitive impairments or Autism.
This bill requires jails to ensure that people who are incarcerated have access to medications. A task force will examine the effectiveness of mandatory minimum sentences. My bill to require more awareness for students about anonymous threat reporting systems will hopefully help provide support for students experiencing a mental health crisis and avert harm to that student and others.
There was bipartisan support for the provision of this bill that will result in the phased closure of Stillwater prison over the course of four years. The facility was built in 1914 and has $180 million dollars in deferred maintenance. Its design and structure are unsafe for both the staff and the men incarcerated there. For years, reports have emphasized the need to address these growing problems, and I held an interim hearing in December to highlight this issue. While it was a surprise to many of us that the phased closure would begin this year, the closure is necessary. Our bill language emphasizes that as this phased process begins, the Commissioner of Corrections must consider the needs of staff, the impact on the local community, and the rehabilitative and other supports for those who are incarcerated.
Long-Term Care in Minnesota
Thank you Fox 9 for running this critical story about the many serious issues facing our long-term care industry in MN. Over the years I've crafted legislation alongside our most vulnerable and those who have suffered due to predatory practices. We can and must do better by our senior citizens!
Minnesotan Excellence
It was my honor to invite the WORLD championship U of M dance team to the Capitol recently. Their performances are incredible and they represent MN so well! We are so proud of this team.
Graduation Rates Reach All-Time High
Graduation rates have reached a historic high! When we invest in our kids we see results. Minnesota still has a long way to go to return to our nation-leading education outcomes, but this is an encouraging start. I'll continue to invest in our youth and public education. Congrats to all students who are graduating this year.
Stay In Touch
Please feel free to contact me directly with your viewpoints or if I can be of assistance. My email is rep.kelly.moller@house.mn.gov and my phone number is 651-296-0141.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.
Sincerely,
Kelly Moller
State Representative