Friends and neighbors –
First things first. Thank you so much to everybody for your gracious calls, texts, and emails over the last couple of weeks. The outpouring of support you have shown me has been incredible, and it’s hard to describe how much it has meant.
I am a little banged up and have a long recovery ahead of me, but I am doing well. I’m already participating in committees once again (remotely), I’ve been working hard on my bills and the ideas you’ve brought me, and I have been continuing to receive and respond to your messages as usual. It’s great to be back to work on your behalf, and I am looking forward to a successful session.
Things have been busy around the capital; here are a few items you may have missed.
Getting more police officers in the pipeline
This week the Senate approved the first component of our COPS plan to support law enforcement and close police staffing shortages across the state.
The bill provided funding for the award-winning Pathways to Policing program. This is a bill I have been working on for a while, and I’m glad it passed so quickly. The Pathways to Policing program helps non-traditional candidates enter careers in law enforcement. It’s an existing, proven program that has been working well for local police departments and for officers.
The bill also included funding for a new marketing campaign to elevate the profession of law enforcement and highlight the important work that officers do to keep us safe. After years of demonizing law enforcement and cries of “defund the police”, we need to remember the indispensable role that police play.
These are just the first steps. We’ve got a lot more to come.
Protecting worker benefits by quickly repaying unemployment debt
When the governor closed down businesses during Covid it forced an unprecedented number of people onto the unemployment lines. To keep the state’s unemployment program afloat, we borrowed a bunch of money from the federal government. We still owe little more than $1 billion. Those loans were interest-free for a while, but not anymore.
Why is that important? If the bill isn’t paid, by law taxes will go up and employees will be on the hook. Obviously we can’t have that happen.
This week Senate Republicans passed a bill to repay that debt as soon as possible using the state’s massive budget surplus. We must – I repeat, must – protect worker benefits. With inflation, an economic slowdown, and supply chain issues over the last year crushing family budgets, the last thing people need is a tax increase to boot.
Contact me
If you have any questions about the issues we are working on at the legislature, feel free to contact me any time at sen.john.jasinski@senate.mn or 651-296-0284. It is a privilege to serve you!