Dear Neighbors,


I am horrified by the mass shooting directly aimed at Asian Americans in Atlanta, Georgia. This was a racially fueled murder that needs to be condemned and addressed immediately. The rising Anti-Asian sentiments have no place in the State of Minnesota and in our Country. I condemn this violence and I stand with the Asian American Pacific Islander Community. I will do everything in my power as State Senator to stand with all communities of color to fight against racially motivated crimes and propose legislatively action to protect our AAPI communities.

Please take the time to check on our Asian community members, be attentive to their presence and safety in public spaces, especially seniors and children. If you are hurting after the tragic event in Atlanta, seek help from someone that you trust. If you witness or experience abuse or maltreatment do not hesitate to report it.

These are truly devastating times, and our office will be here to listen and respond to any concerns. Never hesitate to call us.

Please stay safe and do what you can to ensure the safety of your neighbor.

Patricia

 

Deadlines:

The Legislature agrees on a set of three deadlines for committee actions. In order for bills to go through the Senate or the House, they must be  heard on the Senate Floor or the House with its companion bill. 

Bills Chief-Authored by Senator Torres Ray Meeting First Deadline:

  • SF 1754 Disability impact statement in a pre-sentence investigation report inclusion authorization
  • SF 1747 Annual diversity report energy grantee and utilities submission requirement
  • SF 1744 Healthy development of babies during pregnancy and postpartum for families who are black, indigenous, or people of color
  • SF 1675 Civil unrest immediate relief program establishment and appropriation
  • SF 1050 Bus deployment in the seven-county metro area bases on vehicle emissions regulation
  • SF 877 Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act; anti-racism training and implicit bias continuing education requirement
  • SF 547 Women of Color Opportunity Act
  • SF 546 Education paraprofessionals paid orientation requirement

 

Bills Chief-Authored by Senator Torres Ray Moving for Possible Inclusion In Omnibus Bills:

  • SF427- Repeals the rule that imposes a person with diabetes to submit a physician’s statement at regular intervals to verify that the person is able to safely operate a motor vehicle.
  • SF1048 - Prohibiting the dismissals of students in kindergarten through grade 3.

Legislation Passed Off the Senate Floor:

Bipartisan Bill to Help Dry Cleaners Heads to Governor’s Desk

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  • SF167 This Bill allows for the clean up of sites that are former dry cleaners as well as the ban of use of perchloroethylene (perc).
  • Perc is a solvent that is used in dry cleaning and is a toxic air pollutant that has been known to cause significant health effects. 

 

Upcoming Legislative Break:

All Legislators will be on a legislative break from March 26th to April 6th. My office will continue to receive your inquiries and will accommodate any requests after the break. There will be limited communications and will resume immediately once the break is over. 


State vs. Derek Chauvin Trial Updates:

The Derek Chauvin murder trail is on schedule as the jury selection process is still ongoing. A total of 10 jurors have been selected and just one more juror is needed to reach the 12 who will deliberate and two serve as alternates.

Judge Cahill reinstated the third-degree murder charge against Derek Chauvin and ruled on the motions about moving the trial, evidence from a previous George Floyd arrest and a continuance. 

The court posts public details including trial documents and can be accessed here

 

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency PFAS Announcement:

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced this Thursday that in 98 out of 101 closed landfills across the state of Minnesota is contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) PFAS is man-made chemical that persists in the environment. 60 landfill sites have been determined that they exceed the Minnesota Department of Health's guidance values for PFAS. 

In order to address this issue to the fullest extent, the MPCA has requested to use funds from the Closed Landfill Investment Fund (CLIF). The funds would be used to respond to the contamination in the closed landfills. In order for the MPCA to use this Fund, they need to seek legislative approval. 

This announcement cannot be ignored for the sake of our community and for our well being. We must all collectively come together to ensure that legislative action be upheld in order to protect Minnesotan's health from danger.  

 

Committee Work:

Environment & Natural Resources Finance Committee 
Rollbacks on this year's Environmental Omnibus Bill is being pushed by Senate Republicans. 

There is an attempt to strip MPCA of their authority to enact more stringent vehicle gas emissions regulations. More stringent regulations would allow for Minnesotans to have a wide variety of energy efficient cars. 

Another attempt to undermine environmental efforts is the weakening of standards for Minnesota's wastewater pollution. This would hinder the stability of groundwater levels. 

Energy & Utilities Finance & Policy Committee

S.F. 2132 Is a bipartisan bill that would allow for financial assistance to offset the unprecedented increase to the cost of natural gas due to the polar vortex in February of 2021. 

 

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