Update from Minnesota House of Representatives

July 1, 2021 — Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives finished approving a new two-year state budget and adjourned. The Minnesota House, controlled by Democrats, and the Minnesota Senate, controlled by Republicans, convened for a special session on June 14th to finalize a bipartisan budget agreement and avoid a state government shutdown on July 1st.

The House secured investments in families, workers, students, and small businesses who have been hit hardest by the pandemic, including:

• Increase in Child Care Assistance Program rates
• Great Start Task Force to look at making childcare more accessible, affordable, and ensure fair compensation
• Funding for the Bridges to Healthcare Program to provide support and wraparound services for people with low incomes going into healthcare careers
• A historic increase in funding for public schools and preservation of all day pre-K for 4,000 preschoolers
• Financial support for frontline workers who sacrificed their health to keep all of us safe during the pandemic  
• Investments in access to affordable child care for families and increased funding for providers
• A plan to prevent an eviction crisis and expand access to affordable housing
• Targeted tax cuts for workers and small businesses harmed by the pandemic
• Investments to improve public health and reduce racial disparities in health care
• State aid for small businesses in the Lake, Midway, and West Broadway corridors damaged during last year’s civil unrest
• Better access to reliable public transit and investments in roads, bridges, and rail
• Substantial reforms to sexual assault laws to bring justice to victims
• Measures to reform policing and increase accountability
• Investments in families who are at risk of or are experiencing homelessness
• Delivering an overdue pay raise for our PCAs and additional support for home and community-based services to help people live independently
• Substantial investments to reduce racial disparities and improve equity
• Funding for the Market Bucks program to provide healthy and affordable farmers’ market produce to SNAP/EBT users

As a result of a bipartisan deal to end Governor Walz’s emergency powers on July 1, the Legislature will not convene for a July special session or continue meeting monthly as it has done since the pandemic began. 

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