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House passes bill to restore voting rights to people released from prison
The Minnesota House passed a bill to restore voting rights to people still on parole or probation. The bill heads to the state Senate for a vote. “People for years and sometimes decades have no stake, have no investment, have no way to be heard,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon at a press […]
Minnesota House passes bill to give driver’s licenses to undocumented residents
Minnesota House lawmakers passed a bill 69-60 to give driver’s licenses to undocumented residents on Monday after a decade of advocacy from immigrant rights groups. The bill now heads to the state Senate. “We are filled with hope that we can once again drive without fear,” said leader of the Minnesota Immigrant Movement Jovita Morales […]
After Republicans delay with lengthy debate, Senate passes bill codifying abortion rights
Update: The bill passed Saturday morning and heads to the desk of Gov. Tim Walz, who is expected to sign it. Minnesota Senate Republicans launched an informal filibuster to prevent abortion rights from being codified into state law Friday, offering dozens of amendments and speeches that lasted well into Saturday morning. Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers pressed on […]
Minnesota Senate passes Juneteenth as a state holiday
The Minnesota Senate on Thursday passed a bill to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday. Juneteenth, or June 19, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans. It marks the day in 1865 — two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed — that a group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally learned they were […]
Minnesota Senate passes CROWN Act to ban race-based hair discrimination
The Minnesota Senate on Thursday passed the CROWN Act, which prohibits discrimination against hair texture and styles. The CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act,” protects “traits associated with race, including but not limited to hair texture and hair styles such as braids, locs, and twists.” “I […]
DFL legislators advance bill to limit interest rates on payday loans
House legislators on Wednesday advanced a bill to limit sky-high interest rates on payday loans, which advocates say often trap borrowers into a cycle of debt. “These lenders make it their mission to target people who don’t have access to a bank account — or who don’t have access to a traditional loan — and […]
Right to abortion passes Minnesota House, heads to Senate
The Minnesota House passed a bill that would codify the right to an abortion into state law Thursday over Republican opposition, bringing Democrats a step closer to fulfilling a campaign promise. The bill, known as the PRO Act, establishes that Minnesotans have a “fundamental right to make autonomous decisions” about their reproductive health care — […]
DFL trifecta brings renewed effort in Legislature to ban conversion therapy for minors
Human rights advocates, faith leaders and a group of University of Minnesota Medical School students in white doctor coats were at the Legislature Wednesday in support of a bill to ban so-called conversion therapy for children. Conversion therapy, which has been discredited by medical and scientific evidence, attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or […]
Office to provide resources for missing and murdered Black girls and women advances through Minnesota House
Minnesota House legislators on Thursday advanced a bill to create an office to investigate murdered and missing Black girls and women — a month after a state report showing Black women are nearly three times more likely to be murdered than white women in Minnesota. The report from the Missing and Murdered African American Women […]
Right to vote for people on parole or probation clears first hurdle in Minnesota House
With a chorus of assenting “ayes,” Minnesota legislators took their first step on Wednesday to restoring voting rights for anyone convicted of a felony offense and still on probation or parole. “Restore people, restore communities. That’s what this is about,” said chief author of the bill Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope. The voting rights restoration […]
Unions, dean of University of Minnesota Medical School oppose merger between Fairview and Sanford Health
Opposition to the potential merger between health care systems Sanford Health and Fairview Health Services is gaining steam. After several major unions rallied against the deal Tuesday, the dean of University of Minnesota’s medical school, Dr. Jakub Tolar, announced at a packed public session, organized by Attorney General Keith Ellison, that he does not support […]
Gov. Walz calls for paid family and medical leave ahead of Senate hearing
Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday advocated for paid family and medical leave ahead of a Senate hearing Wednesday. The bill (SF2) would tax employees and employers like unemployment insurance and then allow up to 12 weeks for medical leave and up to 12 weeks for family leave. “Eight days ago in our inaugural address, we […]