Record number of bills, including disability-related bills, this session
4/8/2023 2:10:26 PM
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This session has seen record numbers of bills introduced and signed into law. Legislators have been working hard to complete unfinished bills from previous sessions.
Many more disability-related bills have received attention than usual this session, which means we have been very busy finding and monitoring them in addition to our own bills!
Deadlines for committees to hear policy-only bills have passed. Several of our policy-only bills are ready to be voted on by the entire chamber and/or laid over for omnibus (several bills merged into one large bill).
This year is a budget year, so legislators are primarily working on bills that have a cost associated to them.
Some policy-only bills will be worked on next year as it will be a policy year.
Our bills that have a cost linked to them have continued to progress.
CDI in Classrooms, HF170 and SF295. This bill modifies language in educational interpreter law. Currently, the language requires that an educational interpreter complete an Interpreter Training Program (ITP). Nationwide, we are aware of only one ITP that is inclusive of Deaf Interpreters. The language in this bill would allow a CDI to work in schools without completing an ITP program and would allow school districts to be reimbursed for the salary of the CDI.
Thanks to Dov and Galvin Nathanson, Nic Zapko, Trevor Turner, and Alicia Lane (on behalf of MNCDHH) for testifying in support at committee hearings.
Both House and Senate committees voted to include CDI in Classrooms in the education finance omnibus bill, which has not been released at this time. We are monitoring to make sure the language is included.
Deaf Education Master’s Degree Tax Credit, HF2340 and SF2583. This bill adds ‘deaf education’ to the list of teacher licensure fields that qualify for a tax credit of up to $2,500 towards a master’s degree.
Thanks to Audrey Kludtke, Stevie Middlebrook, and Metro Deaf School for sending letters of support. The Commission has also sent a letter of support.
The House Taxes committee voted to consider it for their omnibus, and we are monitoring for a Senate hearing.
Metro Deaf School Priority Admission, HF59 and SF1024. This bill protects MDS’s ability to give preferential enrollment to students with a primary disability of deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing.
MNCDHH submitted a letter of support. Thanks to Dr. Susan Outlaw, Sara Klarstrom, and Holly Barnett for testifying in support at committee hearings. Thanks also to Melissa Albert, Kathleen McKenna, and Isaac Roang for submitting letters of support.
Both chambers have included the bill language in their Education Policy omnibus, and the Senate has the bill on the list ready to be heard on the floor.
The Minnesota State Academies have several funding requests as part of the Governor’s proposed budget. Here they are.
HF669 and SF676 for dorm renovations/asset preservation.
HF2497 and SF2684 for the MSA operating budget and for a new audiology booth and equipment.
HF2497 and SF2684 for rental income.
HF669 is ready to be voted on by the House floor, while we are monitoring HF2497/SF2684 for inclusion in the Education Finance omnibus.
Mental Health Day Treatment Center for Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Youth, HF2497 and SF2684. This bill is part of the Governor’s proposed budget and will provide funding to establish a statewide mental health day treatment program for deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing youth. The program is to be housed at the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf.
Thanks to Superintendent Terry Wilding for testifying in support at committee hearings.
We are monitoring for inclusion in the Education Finance omnibus in both chambers.
Closed Captioning in Public Places, HF909 and SF2044. This bill updates Minnesota's human rights statutes to clarify that not having captions displayed on TVs in public places is considered discrimination.
Thanks to Keenan Gao, Sonny Wasilowski, and Alicia Lane for testifying in support at hearings. We also thank Laura Hagemann and Barbara Schneider for sending letters of support.
The House committee unanimously supported this bill, and we are monitoring the House Judiciary and Civil Law omnibus to make sure the bill language is included. On the Senate side, it has been re-referred to another committee.
(Update: Visit the action alert we sent out on March 31, 2023!)
IEP Process Accommodations for Parents, HF142 and SF681. This bill requires school districts to establish a process for providing reasonable accommodations for parents to participate in developing their child’s Individualized Education Program.
This bill has not yet received a hearing, so it is unlikely move forward this year. However, we expect to work on this next year.
Hearing Aid Coverage Specified, HF1480 and SF2105. This bill removes the current age limit of 18 for mandated hearing aid coverage to include all ages. These updates will allow Minnesota statutes to conform with federal prohibitions against age discrimination.
Thanks to Anne Sittner Anderson and Alicia Lane for testifying in support of the bill in Senate hearings. Thanks to the Minnesota Academy of Audiology and Peggy Nelson, an audiology professor at the University of Minnesota, for writing letters of support.
This bill has received unanimous committee support on the Senate site and is laid over for inclusion in the Senate Health omnibus. On the House side, there are some procedural questions we expect will be discussed when both chambers meet to discuss the omnibus.
Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Updates, HF2038 and SF2108. This bill updates state law to comply with federal requirements for over-the-counter hearing aids.
The Commission is monitoring this bill. An initial bill draft contained “hearing impairment” in the language but that has since been amended.
Grant Appropriation to Fund Physical Accessibility Improvements to Performance Art Spaces, HF1670 and SF1387. This bill provides grants for performing art spaces to install more accessibility improvements, such as installing hearing loop systems to feed clearer audio to hearing aids.
This is being considered for the omnibus in both chambers and we will continue to monitor.
Communication Access During Emergencies – Next Generation (NG) 911 Upgrade, HF2890 and SF2909. This is part of the governor’s proposed budget, which was requested by MNCDHH. This bill provides the funding to upgrade Minnesota’s 911 system to NG911. The upgrades will improve accessibility of communications during emergencies.
The Commission wrote letters of support. We are monitoring for inclusion in the omnibus.
Prescription Container Accessible Labels, HF2430 and SF2266. This bill ensures that consumers can receive label information in Braille, large print, or audible format for their prescriptions.
This is viewed as a policy-only bill, so committee chairs have decided to wait until next year. However, the governor’s budget proposal includes increased funding for the State Services for the Blind (SSB), which potentially could support pharmacies in providing accessible prescription labels. We plan to continue discussions with SSB.
State Employees with Disabilities Recruitment and Retention, HF383 and SF1261. This bill updates and clarifies Minnesota statutes on hiring and keeping state employees with disabilities.
We are monitoring for inclusion in the House omnibus and for additional hearings on the Senate side.
Parental Fee Elimination for Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA), HF1434 and SF1201. This bill eliminates the often-high fee that parents must pay for their child with disabilities to receive medical assistance from the state. Medical assistance covers services that typical insurance providers do not. Minnesota is one of only five states that require this fee.
Thanks to Amy Amundsen for submitting a letter in support.
Committees in both chambers are considering it for inclusion in the Human Services Finance omnibus.
A lot can and will happen during these last days of session. Please subscribe to our newsletters or follow our website and social media to stay up to date with our updates. Find our information on our website. If you would like to discuss any of the bills, please reach out to our government relations director, Alicia Lane, at alicia.lane-outlaw@state.mn.us. Thank you!
The Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing thanks:
Diego Ozuna-Clark for ASL talent.
Daria Goede for voiceover.
Keystone Interpreting Solutions for film production.
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