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Dear Neighbors,?

On Monday, the 93rd Minnesota Legislature concluded its most consequential two-year session. ?After many years of divided government and Republican gridlock that prevented meaningful progress for our state, House DFLers got the job done through a host of accomplishments that will benefit Minnesotans for generations to come. This session ended with decisive action to avoid the extraordinary obstruction of our colleagues across the aisle that threatened to blocked our deal to increase compensation for drivers and keep Uber/Lyft in Minnesota as well as policy to improve the child care tax credit, enact new gun violence prevention laws, expand health insurance coverage for reproductive care, wigs for cancer patients, prosthetics, and gender-affirming care, and so much more.

In an economy tilted in favor of big corporations and the wealthy few, the House DFL Majority has focused on taking on monopoly power by enacting policies reigning in abusive and anti-competitive practices of big pharma, big tech, big insurance companies, and predatory lenders. We are supporting and investing in workers, families, seniors, and the next generation. The Child Tax Credit is projected to cut childhood poverty by one-third. We are helping seniors keep more money in their pockets and delivering property tax cuts and an improved renters rebate program. We continue to invest in housing, early care and learning, food security, and child welfare. We reduced health care costs, including a cap on co-pays for prescription drugs to treat diabetes, asthma, and allergies at $25 for one month?s supply.?

Here are other bills we passed this year that will improve the lives of all Minnesotans in every corner of our state:??

• Worker protections and wage compensation equity for Uber, LYft and other TNC drivers??
• Minnesota Voting Rights Act, ending prison gerrymandering, and increased early voting on college campuses
• Elimination of minimum wage carve outs for youth, J1 visa holders, and workers at small businesses?
• Prevailing wage in publicly financed housing projects and eliminating misclassification fraud?
• Medical debt reform??
• Minnesota African American Family Preservation and Child Welfare Disproportionality Act??
• Strengthen Paid Family and Medical Leave Law?
• Funding for services for crime victims?
• Prohibition on banning, removing, or otherwise restricting access to age-appropriate book or other material from a school library????
• Expanding our nation-leading Child Tax Credit?
• Invest in tree planting across the state?
• Tenants? Bill of Rights??
• Prior authorization reform?
• Funding for the Rise Up Center to support clean energy jobs and training in our community?
• Protections for clean drinking water and healthy soil, with investments in sustainable farming

And more!??

The Power of Us?

The amount of work we accomplished for Minnesotans this year (and last!) was significant and reflected years of advocacy, organizing and policy development from people across the state and in our community. I?m proud to represent a district with engaged and vocal constituents who are active in improving our state for generations to come. While I am proud of what we?ve accomplished, we have more work to do to ensure our state is the best place for everyone in Minnesota to live, work, earn an education, and raise a family.

Thank you for the great honor of representing our vibrant community in the Minnesota House of Representatives. I could not have done this work without your support, advocacy, and continued feedback on matters that mean the most to you. I will continue working and meeting with you, with our neighbors and with communities across the state this summer and fall and I encourage you to reach out to my office if there is anything I can assist you with.?

Legislation for Minnesota?s Working Families?

Last year the Legislature passed our major two-year budget bills, and this year the House built on that progress by passing small supplemental budgets alongside more substantial policy changes in major committee areas. Working alongside the Governor and our Senate counterparts, we reached final agreements on all major budget bills.?

You can find nonpartisan summaries about the final agreements here: Transportation, Labor and Housing, Energy and Agriculture, Public Safety and Judiciary, Commerce and Cannabis, Jobs and Economic Development, Environment and Natural Resources, K-12 Education, Higher Education, Human Services, Health, and Elections.?

These are all great bills, but as a member of the Labor, Elections, Veterans Affairs, and Education Finance committees, I?m especially proud of our efforts there.?

We also passed a gun violence prevention bill that includes tougher penalties for straw purchasers and a ban on binary triggers, a bill that will increase wages for rideshare drivers while keeping companies operating in Minnesota, a health occupational licensure and scoping bill, legislation improving our child welfare services and addressing racial disparities, and a tenant?s right?s package.?

Misclassification Becomes Law

This year we passed historic legislation, to improve the state?s ability to fight employer misclassification fraud.

Misclassification is when an employee incorrectly treats someone who, according to law should be an employee, as an independent contractor. While an employee of an organization receives legal protections under federal and state laws, independent contractors bear the burden of their own payroll taxes and have little to no labor protections.?

All workers deserve economic security and protections of earning minimum wage and overtime, unemployment insurance when you get laid off and workers compensation when you get hurt on the job. But when irresponsible employers don?t play by the rules, workers get hurt, law-abiding businesses can't compete, and safety net protections like unemployment insurance are put at risk. This legislation ensures Minnesota has the legal and enforcement tools to turn the tide on the problem of misclassification fraud to protect workers, law-abiding businesses, and the Minnesota public for generations to come.

Junk Fees Ban Signed into Law

This week Governor Walz signed my legislation to ban junk fees! Sometimes called ?service fess?, ?convenience fees?, or ?processing fees?, junk fees include charges added at the end of a transaction, which can cost Americans tens of billions of dollars annually. Consumer Reports estimates the average family of four loses more than $3,200 per year to junk fees, and much more if they make a significant purchase such as a car. You can find junk fees at the cash register or on cell phone bills, cable bills, rent, student fees, and more.?

Junk fees are a non-transparent way for companies to increase prices and obscure the true total cost of their product or service for families, at a time when many families are struggling to meet basic needs. These fees allow companies to show a lower dollar amount at the start of a sale, but by the time you?re ready to pay, they may have added unexplainable fees so the final cost can be almost twice as much as the original number. My bill requires price transparency by giving consumers a clear, up-front all-inclusive understanding of an item?s true cost and allowing them to make informed decisions about the products and services they choose.

If you are a close watcher of the legislature, you may know that this 1.5 page junk fees bill was the subject of a 7.5 hour filibuster by my colleagues across the aisle. Unfortunately, obstruction and delay mired the last week of session. But the DFL Majorities didn't let this obstruction get in the way of getting this bill passed or finishing our work on behalf of the people of Minnesota this session. And in the end, the bill received bi-partisan support in both legislative bodies.?

Stay in Touch

Thank you for your time, energy, and all you do to make our community a great place to live, work, and play. With the session ending, I look forward to spending more time in our neighborhoods and look forward to running into you this summer!?

Please reach out and let us know about events and meetings you?d like me to attend. And always reach out to me with your input and ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance. My email is [email protected] or you are always welcome to call me at the Capitol at 651-296-4200 and follow my Facebook page for updates.

It?s an honor and a privilege to be your State Representative. I'm very proud of what we?ve been able to accomplish together and look forward to the work we have ahead of us. Together, we can create a stronger, brighter future for all Minnesotans!??

Best,?

Emma Greenman

State Representative