Capitol news roundup: Vaccine access for rural Minnesota
By: Senator Julie Rosen
Things have been busy around the capitol lately! Here is a roundup of a few big items we have been working on that you may have missed.
Vaccine access for rural Minnesota communities
The Minnesota Senate recently approved a bill to significantly expand vaccine access by allowing dentists with appropriate training to administer the flu and the Covid vaccine to patients. The legislation gives Minnesota additional flexibility with its vaccination plan, particularly for residents of rural communities.
Minnesota’s vaccine rollout has been plagued from the beginning, but things are finally starting to improve. One of the steps we need to work on, however, is making sure rural communities are not left behind due to a lack of resources or facilities. Giving trained dentists this authority will help us administer the vaccine to more vulnerable folks at a much faster rate.
Funding for small city and township road improvements
One of Republicans’ first acts after taking the Senate majority in 2016 was to dedicate a portion of sales tax revenue (about 52%) from the sale of auto parts to roads and bridges. Being able to invest that much money in roads and bridges without the gas tax was a big victory for Minnesota’s transportation infrastructure. This year, we are working to increase that auto parts sales tax dedication to about 60%. As part of that effort, our plan would dedicate specific amounts to both small city roads and township roads.
Minneapolis and St. Paul have a big megaphone to advocate for their projects. Small cities and townships don’t, but that doesn’t make them less worthy. We’ll keep looking out for folks who live outside the metro area.
Minneapolis responsibility for public safety costs
One of the issues I hear most often is do not bailout Minneapolis for rebuilding related to the riots. I hear you, and I am a firm no. But we also have a responsibility to protect the safety of the public — a pressing concern with the Derek Chauvin trial set to begin soon.
The governor wants to create a $35 million fund to help Minneapolis cover law enforcement costs around the trial. State taxpayers would pay for it. That’s no good, particularly since the city has shown little desire to strengthen its police force or keep its citizens safe.
Republicans have a better plan. Minneapolis needs to bear responsibility for these costs, so we propose using Local Government Aid. Our plan allows cities that provide assistance to Minneapolis (or any other city) to apply to have their Local Government Aid adjusted in order to recover costs. The funds would be provided by lowering the LGA from the city that owes the aid payment.
Public safety is one of the core functions of government, and Minneapolis needs to have some skin in the game. They cannot cut funding from their police and expect the rest of the state to pick up the slack.
Contact me
If you have any questions about any of these issues, please feel free to contact me any time at sen.julie.rosen@senate.mn or 651-296-6996. It is a privilege to serve as your Senator!