It’s been a busy week here at the Capitol getting bills passed in the Senate. Just this week, the Senate passed an Unemployment Insurance fix, a Police Recruitment bill, and a Parents Bill of Rights package was proposed.
Bills passed this week
Senate Republicans are focused on getting our state back on the right track. At a time when costs are going up and small businesses are trying to recover from the COVID pandemic, the last thing they need is a massive tax hike. At the same time, workers deserve a fully funded unemployment fund to protect their family’s budget should they need it. For these reasons, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill to pay off the state’s Unemployment Insurance debt to the federal government. The bill also fully replenishes the state’s unemployment account.
Another priority this session is public safety and this week, the Senate passed two bipartisan bill to help recruit more police officers to the profession. Law enforcement in an honorable profession, but the “defund the police” movement and anti-police rhetoric is causing people to leave the profession and discouraging new people from entering this important field.
The first bill dedicates $2 million to recruit new police officers to the profession through marketing campaign, something that has worked in other states to help promote the profession. The bill also included additional funding for the Pathways to Policing program, which is an existing state program that continues to be successful. Both bills passed with bipartisan support.
Parents Bill of Rights
Senate Republicans proposed a “Parents’ Bill of Rights” package that would help empower parents’ as a partner in their children’s education. After years of COVID restrictions and distance learning, kids are falling further behind. The proposal aims to build a better partnership between parents and educators by increasing school transparency and accountability.
There are two bills aimed to increase transparency in the classroom that are part of the package. One would require access to each class syllabi be made available to parents within the first two weeks of the educational term. Parents have the right to know what their kids are being taught and it’s imperative our schools have a well-planned and transparent curriculum. This legislation affirms what many educators are already doing and allows parents to have the information necessary to help decide what education option is best for their child.
The second is a broader curriculum review bill that requires schools to make all instruction materials available to parents, without cost. It requires the school to allow for reasonable accommodation for alternative instruction if a parent objects to the content, without penalty to the student. The school is not required to provide alternative instruction. Children are most successful when their parents are engaged in their education and unfortunately there are too many situations where parents are being shutout of the process.
Another bill being proposed would prevent doxing of parents’ home addresses. The bill makes clear a parent or other citizen may not be forced to provide an address or contact information in order to participate. Parents have a fundamental right to be actively involved in what is taking place in their child’s school. They should not be forced to the sidelines, bullied, or have information withheld from them, which is happening too often. We hear the concerns, and we are taking action.
In addition to increasing transparency and accountability, Senate Republicans introduced a bill to provide for Educational Savings Accounts (ESA). These accounts allow parents to set aside money to pay for tutoring, tuition, and other support services with a tax-preferred account, something that could significantly help students, especially during a time when many of them are struggling with COVID-related learning loss.
Contact me
As always, your feedback is extremely important to me, and I encourage you to share your input on the issues being discussed here at the Capitol. If you have any questions, thoughts, or ideas, please send me an email at sen.jeremy.miller@senate.mn or call my Capitol office at 651-296-5649. It’s a great honor to serve as your State Senator.
Best,