| Military Family Appreciation Month November is Military Family Appreciation Month—a time when America honors and recognizes those unique sacrifices and challenges family members make in support of their loved ones in uniform. Our Minnesota service members rely on their families for strength and support. Currently, 720 Minnesota military service members are deployed worldwide, with nearly 1,000 soldiers and airmen of the Minnesota National Guard dispersed throughout the state. This month we celebrate the loved ones of our men and women in uniform and recognize the sacrifices they have made in support of our Nation’s heroes. Veterans Day – November 11th On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in November 1918, the guns fell silent in Europe, and World War I ended. So remember to prepare to honor all veterans this November 11th for Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day)! Veterans Day is distinct from Memorial Day, a U.S. public holiday in May. Veterans Day celebrates the service of ALL U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day honors those who had died while in military service. COMMUNITY NOTES Minnesota Board on Aging awards grant to the Central Minnesota Dementia Community Action Network in Sauk Rapids November is also National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, and 11 Minnesota organizations will be able to increase awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia’s, promote early diagnosis and connect caregivers to resources, thanks to grants from the Minnesota Board on Aging (MBA). The Minnesota Board on Aging awarded the Central Minnesota Dementia Community Action Network in Sauk Rapids $150,000 to establish a community-based Dementia Resource Center (DRC). Nearly 100,000 Minnesotans over age 65 have Alzheimer’s disease. That number is projected to increase to 120,000 by 2025. Alzheimer’s poses an array of challenges, and increasing awareness so people get diagnosed earlier is key. Happy Deer Opener! Saturday is the Deer Hunting Opener and I want to wish all my fellow hunters out there a blessed and safe season as they get together with friends and family. Find hunting and trapping regulations, harvest registration, how to contact a conservation officer and information about pursuing a variety of species at mndnr.gov/hunting. All Stearns County Parks and Trails will be open during this fall hunting season. Hunting is not allowed, but you can stay safe by wearing blaze orange, red, or other brightly colored clothing. Join in Celebrating the Effective End of Veteran Homelessness 1:30 P.M. Tuesday., Nov. 9th, 2021 In-person outdoor ceremony at the Veterans Plaza Municipal Athletic Complex 5001 Veterans Drive., St. Cloud, MN Holiday Meals From the Heart Boxes Free holiday food stretcher boxes are available to anyone who is currently serving and their families. Beyond the Yellow Ribbon in conjunction with Building Healthy Military Families and all family support, POCs from all branches of service have partnered with Meals From the Heart to provide food budget stretcher boxes for anyone who is currently serving and their families during the holiday season. Register here! Commemorative Coin Available to GWOT Veterans In recognition of the 20th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and subsequent Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs has created a commemorative coin as an expression of appreciation to Minnesota Veterans who have served since that fateful day. These coins are a limited edition and available for a short time. Minnesota GWOT Veterans are invited to register for this free coin by visiting https://bit.ly/MNGWOTcoin if you’re having trouble registering please e-mail mdva.communications@state.mn.us. Coins will be distributed by County Veterans Services Officers. Extension of Gulf War Presumptives The Department of Veteran Affairs has extended the presumptive period for qualifying chronic disabilities resulting from undiagnosed illnesses in Persian Gulf War Veterans to December 31, 2026. Prior to the extension, Persian Gulf War Veterans had to file a claim for disability compensation before the end of the 2021 calendar year. The VA is extending the presumptive period for qualifying chronic disabilities of 10% or more to ensure benefits established by Congress are fairly administered. A wide variety of symptoms can qualify a Gulf War Veteran for presumptive service-connection, Veterans who are experiencing unexplained medical issues are encouraged to file a claim. To learn more about VA and Gulf War Veterans, click here. Federal Vaccine Mandates Yesterday morning the Biden Administration issued their previously announced vaccine/testing mandate for private employers with 100 or more employees and their vaccine mandate for health care workers. The full OSHA press release on the emergency temporary standard regarding private employers can be found here (https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/national/11042021). The full CMS press release on the emergency regulation regarding health care workers can be found here (https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-issues-emergency-regulation-requiring-covid-19-vaccination-health-care). Under the timelines announced today, enforcement will begin on January 4, 2022. Both documents were filed with the federal register this morning and are published. You can find those online here: OSHA and CMS. There will be a 30-day public comment period for both, which I believe will begin once the documents are published in the federal register. Public comments can be submitted online here (https://www.regulations.gov/). I have received many emails and phone calls about the federal requirements and it might be useful for concerned constituents to check out the regulations.gov website. This will cripple our rural Health Care Providers and Nursing Homes where we have a large number of staff that are not vaccinated. These facilities are already short staffed and operating at greatly reduced capacities. I support choice and oppose a government vaccine mandate. We should not force others to be vaccinated if they have objections. This is an intrusion of government into medical privacy and personal freedom. I will continue to be firmly in your corner, working to maintain our constitutional right to choose and our right to medical privacy. Republican legislators call for Minnesota State School Board Association to withdraw from national school board organization after ‘deceitful and defamatory’ letter to attorney general Republican legislators from the Education Finance and Policy Committee have called for the Minnesota School Board Association (MSBA) to withdraw its membership from the National School Board Association (NSBA), pending any serious reform and leadership change at the national organization, after the NSBA sent a “deceitful and defamatory” letter to the United States Attorney General asking the Department of Justice to investigate the involvement of concerned parents at local school board meetings. The NSBA sent its letter without consulting state school board associations, including the Minnesota School Board Association. Parents across the country are concerned about the activity taking place in local schools, including mask mandates and Critical Race Theory-style curriculum. They have every right to be involved in what their kids are being taught without being bullied or intimidated by the Department of Justice. That the national school board organization would be involved in this attack on parents is outrageous. According to Parents Defending Education, 23 states have formally distanced themselves from the NSBA letter and five states – Missouri, Ohio, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire – have ended their association with NSBA. Minnesota is currently listed as “no response.” The full letter can be read here. Resource for parents and constituents I wanted to share this statute that was brought to my attention that I believe is a good resource for informing and empowering constituents and parents in regard to instructional materials: 120B.20 PARENTAL CURRICULUM REVIEW. Each school district shall have a procedure for a parent, guardian, or an adult student, 18 years of age or older, to review the content of the instructional materials to be provided to a minor child or to an adult student and, if the parent, guardian, or adult student objects to the content, to make reasonable arrangements with school personnel for alternative instruction. Alternative instruction may be provided by the parent, guardian, or adult student if the alternative instruction, if any, offered by the school board does not meet the concerns of the parent, guardian, or adult student. The school board is not required to pay for the costs of alternative instruction provided by a parent, guardian, or adult student. School personnel may not impose an academic or other penalty upon a student merely for arranging alternative instruction under this section. School personnel may evaluate and assess the quality of the student’s work. History: 1993 c 224 art 12 s 29; 1998 c 397 art 6 s 124 Know your rights and use your rights. Minneapolis voters rejected a proposal that would replace the city’s police with a new “Department of Public Safety.” Violent crimes have been on the rise throughout Minnesota, and law enforcement organizations have been doing their best to keep Minnesotans safe, despite emboldened criminals and a clear lack of support. Luckily, this week, Minneapolis voters rejected a proposal that would replace the city’s police with a new “Department of Public Safety.” This measure had NO PLAN for how the new “department” would operate…. Nothing about the idea prioritized “public safety.” I am encouraged to see Minneapolis residents rejecting such a radical measure. Now we need to focus on providing our officers with the support they need to continue keeping the public safe! Social media I am grateful for each of my constituents and look forward to connecting with you. Please reach out to me through Email, phone, or I would be happy to meet in the district or at the Capitol. Your voice is important to me, and it is my mission for you to be heard. You can reach me at P: 651-296-2084 or Email: sen.jeff.howe@senate.mn You’re invited to follow me on social media! Be sure to follow me on my Facebook page for the latest news from the Capitol and District 13. You’ll find legislative updates, constituent photos, events, video updates, and more. |
