| Neighbors, We have one week left of session as we negotiate our way toward a new two-year budget. Conference Committees met this week in full force flushing out ideas and adopting similar language. I’m looking forward to a busy and productive week next week as we work to end on time with a budget deal. Thank you, Rich Senate passes popular Voter ID bill On Monday, the Minnesota Senate approved a broadly popular bill that would require Minnesotans to present a valid photo identification for in-person, absentee, and mail-in voting. The bill also establishes a new voter identification card that would be available free of charge to individuals who lack proper identification and cannot afford it. The bill would make Minnesota the 37th state to require some form of identification to vote. Recent polling shows 75% of Americans and 69% of Minnesotans support the requirement to show some form of photo ID before casting a ballot to ensure you are who you say you are at the polls. Establishing Voter ID in Minnesota is an easy way to help ensure integrity and credibility with voters and show we prioritize security in our election process. Voter ID is widely popular throughout the United States. A recent Rasmussen survey found the issue garners 75% support, while the statistical website 538 recently published a round-up of several polls highlighting the popularity of the issue. In Minnesota, the nonpartisan think tank Center of the American Experiment recently found voter ID enjoys 69% support. The bill guarantees that not a single legal voter would be disenfranchised by the new requirement. Individuals unable to provide valid proof of identity or residence would be able to cast a provisional ballot, affording the voter a period of time in which they could prove their identity. If a voter then exhausts all options and is still unable to provide documentation, that voter would be allowed to sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury affirming they are a legal voter, and would then have their ballot counted. Same-day voter registration would also remain intact. In the 2008 landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Crawford v. Marion County, the Court held that an Indiana law requiring a photo ID to vote did not violate the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, the Court held there are “legitimate state interests” in voting laws requiring photo ID, including deterring, detecting, and preventing voter fraud, improving and modernizing election procedures, and safeguarding voter confidence in elections. Finally, the Court also held that federal law authorizes states to use a photo identification requirement to determine an individual’s eligibility to vote. Senate Passes family-focused Health & Human Services Budget Last week, the Minnesota Senate passed a families-focused Health & Human Services budget bill. The legislation supplies critical funding for the Departments of Health and Human Services while ensuring agency accountability to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. This bill focuses on lowering health care costs for families by increasing price transparency, support for local pharmacies, and reimportation of prescription drugs. These are proven strategies to save Minnesotans money on every day health care costs while also enhancing the programs to support Minnesotans and help them emerge from the pandemic. This bill lowers costs for prescription drugs by improving drug price transparency and allowing the importation of lower-cost, FDA-approved drugs from partner countries, including Canada. Additionally, the bill builds off of Pharmacy Benefit Manager reforms from previous sessions to help cut out unnecessary middlemen and rein in drug costs while supporting our local pharmacies. The budget focuses on working families by improving maternal and newborn care with in-home nurse visits, extending Medical Assistance coverage for enrollees after delivery of a baby, and requiring a regular report on maternal and infant health. Maternal outcomes have been worsening in the United States and this report will help identify what changes could ensure women have healthier deliveries. The investments in the services for Minnesotans with disabilities help them live with greater independence. The spending in the state’s childcare programs is targeted to keeping more providers in business while getting children high-quality care to prepare them for success when they enter elementary school. Other highlighted provisions include: A Personal Care Assistant rate increase of roughly 20% over the Governor’s proposal, leading to more disabled Minnesotans living in their communities with their families. Utilize the savings to invest in critical needs like local public health and childcare services. Appropriations for Home and Community Based Service Providers to help provide affordable care to people with health conditions in their own homes. School-linked Mental Health Grants and School-Linked Substance Use Disorder Grants so our students who have been through a tumultuous year of pandemic strain are supported. After a year of COVID-driven stress, increased funding for mental health in the budget will help Minnesotans cope. Funding for court-appointed counsel in child protection cases. Contacts I’ve heard from many of you but wanted to make sure you have contact information for myself and other elected officials in the State: State Senator Rich Draheim 651-296-5558 Sen.Rich.Draheim@senate.mn Governor Tim Walz 651-201-3400 https://mn.gov/governor/contact/ US Rep. Jim Hagedorn 202-225-2472 https://hagedorn.house.gov/contact US Rep. Angie Craig 202-225-2271 https://craig.house.gov/zip-code-lookup?form=/contact/email-me US Sen. Amy Klobuchar 202-224-3244 https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-amy US Sen. Tina Smith 202-224-5641 https://www.smith.senate.gov/share-your-opinion Follow me on Facebook @SenatorRichDraheim Follow me on Facebook to see what I am up to in the Senate and around the district! www.facebook.com/SenatorRichDraheim |
