Feature F 2022 LEGISLATIVE SESSION OUTLOOK
District 25:
Q: What do you foresee as a key issue that will impact the Rochester area business community in the 2022 legislative session? A: I believe a key issue that will impact Rochester area businesses in the 2022 legislative session, and one that I intend to continue to work on, is childcare. Ensuring that families have access to quality, affordable childcare is a key part of building a strong workforce. The pandemic has highlighted the brokenness of our current childcare system. Childcare is prohibitively expensive for many families - at the same time - the professionals providing that care, mostly women, and often women of color, are not being paid a living wage for this critically important work. We need to invest and build a system that works for everyone. Q: What are your expectations for the 2022 legislative session? Are there trends the business community should be aware of? A: There are many important items that will need to be addressed in the 2022 legislative session – a bonding bill, redistricting, protecting democracy, childcare, essential worker pay, making investments to be sure all Minnesotans have what they need to be safe, cared for and thrive, to name a few. Supporting workers with things like paid family medical leave and affordable childcare will certainly benefit the business community. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic is still with us, and will certainly impact the 2022 session. It’s clear that the best thing for businesses is for all of us to take actions to drive our Covid numbers down – when consumers have confidence in their safety, they are more willing and likely to shop local businesses. I believe the trend for the legislature to support families, workers, and small businesses will continue in 2022. Q: What do you foresee as a key issue that will impact the Rochester area business community in the 2022 legislative session? A: Clearly the paramount issue of the 2022 legislative session will how manage a $7.7 billion dollar surplus. Democrats will want to spend it on existing and new programs. Republicans will want to return it to the people in the form of tax decreases. In the final analysis there may be a House/Senate stalemate on how the surplus is managed or a compromise may be reached between new spending and returning the surplus money back to the taxpayers. Bottom-line, the biggest issue of the 2022 session will be how or if the legislature is able to manage the $7.7 billion surplus. Q: What are your expectations for the 2022 legislative session? Are there trends the business community should be aware of? A: My expectations for the 2022 legislature will find a compromise position on managing the 2022 budget surplus and we will pass a significant Capital Infrastructure bill. The legislature will give strong consideration to increasing the labor pool by further emphasizing vocational education training programs.
Rep. Liz Boldon District 25B
Sen. David Senjem District 25
Editor’s Note: At the time of publication, responses were not available from Rep. Duane Quam.
| Advantage Magazine 4
January 2022
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