Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from its March 24, 2022 meeting by voice vote, then heard House File 1729, the Hunger Free Schools Act, from Representative Jordan. The bill would provide universal breakfast and lunch for Minnesota students and require eligible schools to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision. Jordan said the proposal would reduce barriers for families, address childhood hunger, and cost about $187.4 million in fiscal year 2023, rising in later years with participation assumptions. She moved to lay the bill over for possible inclusion in a future omnibus bill, and the committee agreed to continue the bill for later consideration. Testimony on HF 1729 was strongly supportive. Students and parents described the strain of food insecurity and the relief of universal meals during the pandemic. Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Bukata Hayes, Saint Paul Public Schools nutrition director Stacey Koppen, youth leader Aaliyah Dimry, Children’s Minnesota’s Dr. Gigi Challa, the Minnesota School Nutrition Association, and the Minnesota Department of Education all backed the bill, citing improved learning, health, equity, and reduced stigma and debt for families and districts. MDE also noted the bill’s CEP funding would slightly reduce costs by increasing federal reimbursements and supported an added breakfast provision for certain early childhood special education students. Representative Erickson raised concerns about taxpayer cost, family meals, and whether the bill should include an opt-out, while Representative Kresha asked about metrics and staffing; supporters responded that schools are already operating similar meal programs and that the work is already being done. After HF 1729, the committee turned to House File 3265 from Representative Howard, related to lead in school drinking water. The committee adopted the A3 amendment by voice vote, which Howard said clarified funding for lead mitigation, parental notification, and responsibility when contamination comes from municipal water sources. Howard then presented the bill as amended, arguing that Minnesota should do more to ensure school drinking water is safe, that there is no safe level of lead, and that current testing and mitigation efforts lack centralized reporting and can be costly for districts, especially rural ones. The transcript ends during Howard’s presentation of the bill.

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a quorum call, and approval of the previous day’s journal. Members received and adopted a governor’s request for a joint convention on April 24, 2022, for the State of the State address, and the Speaker was authorized to appoint a House escort committee. The chamber also handled routine business including committee reports, second readings of several House and Senate files, and first readings of House Files 4625-4669. The main floor action was on House File 3346, which ratifies collective bargaining agreements, compensation plans, and memorandums of understanding for state employees. Representative Lilly explained the bill covers about 39,000 state workers, including law enforcement, corrections, nurses, and other employees, with most agreements reflecting modest pay increases and some benefit changes. Supporters, including Representatives Joakim, Carlson, O’Neill, and Majority Leader Winkler, emphasized the value of state workers, noted updates on telework, training, retention, sick leave, and safety equipment, and highlighted the addition of 3-D mammogram coverage. The Lilly amendment was adopted, and the bill passed 107-24. The House then took up House File 2774, a worker-safety bill for large warehouse employers, especially Amazon. Representative Greenman described high injury rates, intense electronic surveillance, opaque quotas, and pressure that discourages breaks, and said the bill would require notice of quotas, access to personal performance data, protection for meal, lunch, and prayer breaks, and enforcement authority for workers and the Department of Labor and Industry. Representative Gomez spoke in support, framing the issue as one of privacy and freedom from surveillance, while Representative Erdahl asked whether existing DLI rules were sufficient; Greenman responded that a specific standard is needed to enforce transparency. The debate continued with additional support for stronger worker protections and the need for updated laws as workplaces change.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House took up House File 41, the Earned Sick and Safe Time bill, on third reading. Representative Olson, the author, said the measure would let workers earn one hour of sick and safe time for every 30 hours worked, accrue up to 48 hours per year, and use it after 90 calendar days on the job. He argued the policy would help hundreds of thousands of workers who currently lack paid time off, especially during illness, caregiving, COVID-related absences, and domestic violence situations, and said the fiscal and business costs were modest. Representative Frederick and Representative Keeler spoke in support, citing worker hardship, public health benefits, and the need for leave in cases of domestic violence and broader family caregiving. Keeler also emphasized that the bill’s “safe” provisions are important for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. Opposition came from Representatives Nash, Robbins, Kiel, and Haley, who argued the bill would be costly and burdensome for small businesses, school boards, farms, and seasonal employers. They criticized the breadth of the family and leave definitions, the civil penalties and recordkeeping requirements, and the fact that the bill would apply to employers with very small staffs. Several opponents also tied their objections to the Legislature’s failure to act yet on unemployment insurance trust fund relief, saying the bill would add pressure to businesses already facing higher costs. Representative Robbins questioned subcontractor liability provisions, and Olson responded that liability would depend on the employer’s knowledge of a subcontractor’s violation within the prior two years. The debate included questions about how the bill would apply to agriculture and seasonal work. Olson said the bill would apply to qualifying employers and that workers would become eligible after 90 days, while Kiel and Haley argued that seasonal farm and Main Street businesses would struggle to cover absences. The transcript ends with continued opposition and no recorded final vote or disposition on the floor in the excerpt provided.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House Health Finance and Policy Committee met on March 28 to approve the March 22 and March 23 minutes and then continued informational hearings on the governor’s revised supplemental budget for the Minnesota Department of Health, House File 4398 and its A1 amendment. Commissioner Malcolm emphasized that the budget reflects a major opportunity to invest in prevention, public health infrastructure, and a stronger state-local public health partnership after the pandemic exposed gaps and uneven capacity across the state. She highlighted the importance of community health workers and said the proposal would help systematize and sustain that role through reimbursement and structural support. Testimony generally supported the budget’s public health, workforce, and equity investments, including the Public Health Corps, nurse home visiting, APRN training and loan forgiveness, disability-related health disparity reduction, and health care workforce grants. Some testifiers urged technical changes or broader policy reforms, such as stronger prescription drug affordability measures, updated APRN statutory language, and more support for rural and primary care training. One testifier opposed fluoride-related school health provisions, arguing against fluoride varnish and fluoridated water. The Minnesota Hospital Association supported workforce training funding but raised concerns about creating a health care spending growth target commission, arguing that spending growth is not inherently bad and that analysis of cost drivers could be done without a new commission. After public testimony, members asked questions about the Public Health Corps and about proposed fee increases in the MDH budget, including trauma system fees, engineering plan review fees, and 988 lifeline funding. Department officials explained that the fees were tied to maintaining or expanding services and meeting statutory obligations; for example, the 988 fee was described as necessary to avoid a patchwork of access. The committee then moved on to begin discussion of House File 4576, the DHS portion of the budget, with the MDH portion remaining informational only and no formal vote taken on the budget bill during this segment.