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.
