Dear Neighbors,

Yesterday marked five years since the killing of Philando Castile, shot by a St. Anthony police officer less than two minutes after being pulled over for a broken taillight on July 6, 2016. Our communities continue to mourn his unnecessary death as this tragedy is a continuous reminder that as a state, we must continue to address the disparities in police action and look for positive reform to ensure safe, healthy communities. We realize there is much more work to do. The fight for true justice for Minnesotans, especially our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People Of Color) communities, is a challenge, but we are making progress. 

Your legislature passed our state budget in the early hours of Thursday, July 1st. Although some bills met reasonable expectations such as the Education Omnibus Budget bill, the Judiciary and Public Safety budget bill fell short.

The Conclusion of the 2021 Legislative Session:

The 2021 Legislative session began with promise and the opportunity to bring about transformative legislation to better Minnesota. Reeling with the murder of George Floyd and battling the COVID-19 pandemic, I set out with hopes of building a two-year budget that would help address many of the challenges Minnesota is faced with. Instead, the 2021 Legislative Session left us with more work to be done. 

As a member of the Education Committee, I listened to hyper-partisan and extreme legislation that discriminated against trans youth, witnessed a drive to reopen schools without safety plans or resources in place, and a single bill heard in that committee. We absolutely must invest in our schools to close the opportunity gaps our students face and address the increasing mental health needs, which have only grown during this crisis. Chasing windmills with unnecessary legislation and creating unsafe school environments is not the direction Minnesota needs to go.

Education Omnibus Budget Bill

Retiring from teaching just this past November, I witnessed first-hand how teachers worked night and day to meet the needs of their student’s education during the COVID-19 pandemic; tackling many challenges to remove obstacles that stood in the way of our students and families. The COVID-19 pandemic also showed us what many had known for so long; that there are varying inequities in Minnesota’s public school system. 

As distance learning quickly became the norm over the past year, schools had to scurry to provide students who could not afford the tools needed to participate in virtual learning. This amplified the fact that many students lacked access to the internet due to several reasons including no or spotty broadband/WIFI services.

Despite seven special sessions, it was frustrating to me, a technology educator, that Chair Chamberlain held no hearings to discuss many serious issues facing schools and refused to pass legislation that helps school districts: especially with technology/broadband, declining enrollment, and learning loss. Instead, we heard constant blame of the Governor for closing schools during the worst pandemic in 100 years and a focus on legislation that was heavily detrimental to students.

Initially, the Senate Republican underfunded E-12 education by roughly $350 million of the amount needed for schools to avoid budget cuts for the coming two years. Their proposal was a $152 million E-12 education budget increase, which would have funded only the bare minimum formula increase for schools following a historic year of tremendous challenges and needs.

Fortunately, the Senate and House DFL, Governor Walz, and education advocates prevailed and negotiated a historic education funding bill that invests $554 million (FY 22-23) and $668 million (FY 24-25) in the future of our children. At times, tensions were high, but in the end, this bill included funding for many positive programs and provisions. Listed below are a few of these: (SF 23).

L-R: Sen. Cwodzinski, Sen. Wiger, Sen. Isaacson 

A few Notable Items in the Education Omnibus Budget Bill:

Teachers of Color Act funded at record levels

As a House member, the Coalition to Increase Teachers of Color and American Indian Teachers (TOCAIT) has been a priority for me these past five years. This session, $16 million in additional funding was allocated. Funding increases include:

• American Indian Teacher Prep Grants: $280,000 (FY22-23, ongoing).
• Black Men Teach: $750,000 (FY22-23; one-time).
• Come Teach in MN hiring bonuses: $400,000 (FY 22-23; on-going).
• Expanded concurrent enrollment (Intro to Teaching): $250,000 (FY 22-23; on-going).
• Grow Your Own: $10 million (FY22-23; on-going).
• Teachers of Color Mentoring & Retention Incentive Grants: $ 4.508 million (FY 22-23; on-going).
• Teacher Recruitment marketing campaign: $500,000 (FY 22-23; on-going).
  

Educational Excellence Grants (one-time funding is noted)

• Children's museums: $300,000 (FY22-23; one-time) Mankato, Bloomington, and Grand Rapids; $50,000 each museum.
• Digital Well-Being Grant: $1 million (FY22-23; one-time); funding for the Live More Screen Less organization to create a resource hub on to promote digital well-being, coordinate with other organizations and create train-the trainer and peer- to peer training programs.
• Girls in Action:  $1.5 million (FY 22-23; one-time).
• Math Corps: $1 million (FY 22-23; one-time).
• MN Civics Education Coalition: 150,000 (FY 22-23; one-time).
• MN Youth Council: $375,000 (FY 22-23; one-time).
• Sanneh Foundation: $3 million (FY 22-23; one-time).
• Right Size College entrance exam reimbursement: $1 million (FY 22-23; ongoing
• Statewide testing reduction $2.4 million (FY 22-23; one-time).
• Suicide Prevention Teacher Training Grants: $265,000 (FY 22-23; one-time).
• LETRS Grants: $3 million (FY 22-23); provides grant funding to school districts to implement the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling Programs;
• Non-exclusionary discipline training: $1.750 million (FY 22-23; one-time).

Anti-lunch shaming

• Districts must adopt and post a school meals policy.
• Policy must address if the school uses a collection agency for lunch debt.
• Students cannot be denied a meal despite debt.
• Meals must be provided in a respectful manner.

COVID-19 recovery

• Special education COVID-19 recovery learning services and supports must be implemented to help parents and students impacted by COVID-19.
• Behavioral Health Supports Report: Requires MDE and DHS to work to find strategies to streamline access and reimbursement for behavioral health service for children with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or an individualized family service plan who are enrolled in Medical Assistance.
• Screen time limits: Limits public Pre-school students from using individual screen time without engagement from a teacher or other students.
• Standards suspension: Academic standards implementation is suspended until June of 2023 not already implemented prior to January 2021. Social studies work will continue.
• Evidence-based education: Requires all preK-12 education grants awarded after July 1, 2022, to be awarded through a framework to be aligned with Minnesota’s World’s Best Workforce and the federal government’s student accountability systems.
• Charter Schools corporal punishment: Requires charter schools to comply with current statute that does not allow districts to inflict corporal punishment on students.

Mental health education

Requires a district or charter school providing instruction on preventing suicide or self-harm to use the resources provided by the commissioner or other evidence-based instruction.

Seizure training and action plan

Requires a school district or charter school where a student with a seizure disorder and prescribed seizure medication is enrolled to have a seizure action plan. Training requirements. Requires a school district or charter school to provide all licensed school nurses or other designated individuals, and other staff with self-study materials on seizure disorders.

School Nutrition formula adjustments

The bill adjusts and reallocates school meal funding so that the USDA requirement is met in Minnesota. It ensures that school districts receive their maximum matching funds for nutrition programs.

Judiciary and Public Safety Omnibus Budget Bill

The state’s Judiciary and Public Safety Omnibus Budget Bill was one of the last bills to be passed during special session. As I mentioned earlier, this bill fell short of expectations. Thanks to many Senate DFLers and my House DFL colleagues, this bill includes a few provisions that have a meaningful impact rather than fully ignoring the policy reform demands of our state.

It fixes the state’s definition of mentally incapacitated as it applies to sexual assault cases, eliminates the statute of limitations for certain sex crimes, and a handful of minor reforms around policing. Multiple attempts to improve the bill by adding police reform provisions – such as eliminating pretext traffic stops, sign and release warrants, updates to body camera policies, prohibiting law enforcement from affiliating with white supremacists, and a study on liability insurance for law enforcement – were all defeated by Senate Republicans.

The work that was not completed this session will not be left to gather dust. The necessary provisions to better the lives of all Minnesotans will continue to be at the forefront of discussions until reasonable and effective legislation is passed. Senate members of the People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus released the following statement after the passage of the Judiciary and Public Safety Omnibus Budget Bill (HF 63):

“The Senate POCI Caucus will continue to demand public safety accountability and community-based anti-violence prevention because we believe that the bill that was adopted by the Minnesota Legislature today does not respond to the urgent needs of our communities today.” 

“The Senate debated the Judiciary and Public Safety bill for over 7 hours. DFL members offered several amendments that included pretextual stops, sign & release warrants, body camera footage modifications, study on liability insurance for law enforcement, and white supremacy prohibition. All of these amendments were voted down by the Senate majority. We fought and demanded change and were met with resistance.”

“We applaud the efforts of House POCI members. Thanks to their leadership, the bill makes progress to prevent more people of color dying in the hands of law enforcement. These measures would not have been included if not for the dedicated work of POCI members at the House of Representatives.”

“The state and nation were expecting more from the Minnesota Legislature, but the Senate majority was unwilling to respond to the urgency of the moment. Minnesotans deserve better representation and members of the POCI Caucus will continue to work with the relatives of the victims and activists to ensure our state is a safe place for everyone.” 

Manufactured Homes Grants

Being that I represent many Manufactured Home communities in our District, I monitored and championed legislation affecting Manufactured Home Park Infrastructure Grants. This grant program received an additional $1.75 million ($3.75 million in the biennium) this legislative session. The program provides grants for the acquisition of and improvements in manufactured home parks. Additionally, the money supports infrastructure, including storm shelters and community facilities. 

Also, the Housing Challenge Program which is an additional investment of $2.8 million ($28.65 million in the biennium) provided for grants and loans to support economic development and redevelopment activities or job creation and preservation. The program finances lower-income rental and homeownership opportunities. There are income limits for this program. Left out of the original omnibus bill, I was able to preserve the $1.208 million per year allocation established by the legislature a decade ago, reserved exclusively for housing projects for Native American housing assistance for the first 11 months of each biennium. 

Nonetheless, I persisted:

In 2019, while in the House, I carried legislation that led to the establishment of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s (MMIW) Task Force. Of this task force came the MMIW Task Force report listing 20 mandates that aim to reduce and end violence against Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people in Minnesota. The first mandate establishes a permanent office to continue the work laid out in the report.

Success! The Judiciary and Public Safety Omnibus Budget Bill allocated $1 million to continue the important work started by the Task Force and will help create the Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Establishing this office was not easy work and at times it did not seem like it would get done, but thankfully with the support of many community leaders, advocates, and my House colleagues this ensures our hard, and often painful MMIW Task Force work will continue.

Press Conference recognizing the last MMIW Task Force meeting. L-R: Sen. Torres Ray, County Sheriff Luke W. Hennen, Mysti Babineau, Chris Stark, Nicole Matthews, Rep. Keeler, Rep. Becker Finn, Lt Gov Flanagan, Bonnie Clairmont

The bill also allocates $100,000 to a Task Force for Missing and Murdered African American Women. While homicide is one of the leading causes of death for all women, it is significantly higher for Black women than most other groups. I am proud to have carried this historic legislation in the Senate along with Representative Ruth Richardson and look forward to the work this future task force will accomplish.

Adding to the establishment of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office and a Task Force on Missing and Murdered African American Women I was able to pass the following bills this legislative session: 

• SF 1456: Providing significant funds ($57.5 million) for arterial bus rapid transit (BRT) – including the proposed METRO F Line that will serve the Central Avenue corridor, largely replacing Route 10 from downtown Minneapolis to Northtown Mall via Central and University avenues. Sign up for F Line project emails to be notified when planning starts in early 2022.
• SF 849: Waives a filing fee for federally recognized tribe, and their attorney, when action falls under the ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act).
• SF 1551: Indian Affairs Council, for preservation and education in Dakota and Ojibwe languages.
• SF 1038: The establishment of the Office for Ombudsman for American Indian Families.
• SF 1415: Officially recognizes the legal relationship between Tribal Nations and the state of Minnesota.

Keep in Touch:

Now that we have finished passing a budget, I am looking forward to spending more time in our community and to continuing conversations about how we can better ensure all Minnesotans have the resources to thrive. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions, ideas, or feedback. You can contact me at:

95 University Avenue W.
Minnesota Senate Bldg., Room 2323
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-296-4334

All the best,

Senator Mary Kunesh