Feature F 2022 LEGISLATIVE SESSION RECAP District 25
Q: What is an outcome from the 2022 Legislative Session that will have a significant impact on the Rochester area business community? A: One outcome of the 2022 legislative session that will have an impact on the Rochester business community is the Frontline worker bonuses paired with the replenishment of Minnesota’s unemployment insurance program while keeping businesses US taxes flat. The frontline worker pay will provide checks of $750 or more to hundreds of thousands of workers who put their health and safety at risk, at that of their families, by working with the public during the pandemic. These provisions will benefit both businesses and workers now and in the future. Q: What is a notable or key accomplishment from the session? A: In May, the Speaker, Senate Majority Leader, and Governor signed a broad,
Rep. Liz Boldon District 25B
bipartisan budget framework agreement that would have provided critical funding for education, public safety, nursing homes, infrastructure, middle-class tax cuts, and much more. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans made the decision to walk away from ongoing discussions and negotiations, leaving final agreements on many significant measures undone. Despite this unacceptable turn of events, we were able to accomplish several notable pieces of legislation, one I’d like to highlight is a sweeping package of mental health investments and improvements for Minnesotans’ mental health to increase hospital bed capacity, attract new mental healthcare professionals, and expand the use of mobile crisis units. We need to ensure all Minnesotans have access to affordable care, including mental healthcare. Passing this bill is not enough, but it will make a positive difference in the lives of many Minnesotans and is a good start.
Q: What is an outcome from the 2022 Legislative Session that will have a significant impact on the Rochester area business community? A: By far the most substantive legislative accomplishment achieved in the 2022 session was the replenishing of the unemployment trust fund including “paying back” money borrowed from the federal government to get Minnesota employees through the covid crisis. The amount of money required to do this approached $2.7B. This would have been the obligation of Minnesota employers had this not been done. Another initiative that will have an extraordinary effect on SE Minnesota businesses because of the significant number of healthcare personal is the “essential worker” bonus program. The $750 individual checks will likely be spent in many local and area businesses.
Sen. David Senjem District 25
Q: What is a notable or key accomplishment from the session? A: The passage of a $93M mental health bill Senators Rosen, Draheim, and I created clearly stands as a significant accomplishment of the 2022 session. The bill contains a full menu of initiatives including additional school and community resources, additional badly needed in-patient beds, and something called the implementation of what is called a “competency restoration” program. This program will work to restore mental competency to individuals who have committed crimes but are not able to stand trial because they are mentally unable to stand trial. As a result most of these individuals are released back into society without supervision very often to offend again. The new bill will put monitors on these individuals and work to restore competency to the point of them standing trial for their offenses or otherwise staying out of jail and getting their needed rehabilitation treatment.
| Advantage Magazine 4
July 2022
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