Dear Community,

 

The Minnesota Legislature will be convening tomorrow, Wednesday, August 12 for the third special session of 2020. I am writing you today to bring this matter to your attention, and to look ahead to the fall.

 

As with this year’s two earlier special sessions, this special session has been called in response to the need for the Legislature to weigh in on the Governor’s emergency powers, which must be renewed every 30 days. However, unlike earlier special sessions, there is no expected policy agenda for August. Notably, this means that the Legislature will not attempt to pass a bonding bill or other funding proposals that could impact the budget as the state moves ahead with the sale of other, pre-planned, bonds. Technical bills may be introduced, but no major legislation is expected during what is anticipated to be a very brief special session.

 

This means the window for substantive policy by the current Legislature is coming to a close. While leaders had expressed their intention to pursue a bonding bill during the previous two special sessions, concerns about fiscal stability during planned bond sales means that the focus of the Legislature is already turning towards 2021 and to the projected multi-billion dollar deficit. We, as a community, must do the same.

 

The work of the Legislature this year in addressing so many challenges, from COVID-19 to public safety, underscores how important it is to ensure our government is representative and responsive to the voices of our communities. We are now less than three months from the November elections, when every seat in the Legislature will be up for reelection, in addition to a number of federal seats.

 

In order to ensure your voice is heard and represented in government, I encourage every community member who is eligible to do so to vote. Exercising our right to vote is the bedrock of the democratic process. As we prepare for 2021, it is important that the new Legislature reflects and understands the needs of our communities as accurately as possible.

 

As always, the Council stands ready to advocate on behalf of all our communities. Please reach out to us at any time with your thoughts and concerns, and if you have not yet done so, take a few minutes to complete the Legislative Priorities Survey 2020.

 

Sincerely,