Dear community,

 

On July 21, the Minnesota state Legislature concluded the second special session of 2020. While the primary reason for the special session was to extend Governor Walz’s emergency powers, the Legislature also focused on addressing two major unresolved items from earlier this year: a bonding bill and a police accountability bill.

 

The Legislature was able to successfully reach a compromise on a police accountability and public safety reform bill, which Governor Walz signed into law on July 23. However, the Legislature did not reach an agreement on a proposed bonding bill totaling more than $1.8 billion in infrastructure, housing, and other projects, as the House GOP blocked the necessary votes in protest over the Governor’s extended use of emergency powers. The failure of the Legislature to reach an agreement on the bonding bill means funding will not be available for building and maintaining our infrastructure and creating jobs. This means there will be no paychecks going to construction workers on these projects at a time when unemployment in our state and nation is high, leading to fewer dollars being spent on goods and services at the businesses in our communities to support more jobs. The lack of investment now also leaves our communities without the transit, sanitation, technological, and other infrastructure foundations to build and sustain our state’s economy for the years, and decades, to come.

 

Minnesota has now gone multiple years without a bonding bill, even while interest rates are very low, making for favorable terms for the state to make these investments.

 

The Legislature is expected to return in two weeks to again take up the question of whether to allow Governor Walz to extend his emergency powers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which must be reviewed every 30 days by the Legislature. While most leaders have expressed a shared desire to pass the bonding bill, there is no guarantee that this will be done in August during the third special session. If this situation changes, the Council will provide an update.

 

In this context, the Council has already begun shifting its legislative agenda towards the 2021 session, beginning in January. A major component of this effort has been the launch of the biennial Legislative Priorities Survey. If you have not yet done so, we urge you to take five minutes to complete the Survey and share it with your friends and family.

 

No matter the end results of the Legislature in 2020, the Council stands committed to ensuring the voices of our community are heard in state government. We look forward to working with you as we take up the important work of preparing for the 2021 session.

 

Kind regards,

 

Sia Her

Executive Director

651-757-1741

 

P.S. If you’re interested in receiving e-mail updates from the Council during the regular legislative session about topics that affect our communities, click here to sign up for legislative updates through our GovDelivery subscription service.

 

Mission: "The Council works toward economic, social, legal, and political equality for Minnesotans of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) heritage. "

 

658 Cedar Street Suite 160

Saint Paul, MN 55155 

651-757-1740