Friends and neighbors,
This session, Senate Republicans launched the C.O.P.S. Program, which stands for ‘Creating Opportunities in Public Safety.’ Minnesota’s law enforcement officers are currently leaving the force in far higher numbers than they are applying to join. The C.O.P.S. Program will address this critical shortage through six different bills all focused on recruitment. And recently, a bill, SF-2848, from this initiative passed out of the Senate with bipartisan support.
This proposal would provide $1 million in funding for the Department of Public Safety to develop and conduct an advertising campaign to elevate the law enforcement profession. This bill would also appropriate $1 million in funding for the award-winning Pathways to Policing program, which supports non-traditional candidates for law enforcement who already earned an associate’s degree in another discipline.
Everyday our officers tirelessly work to protect the security of others. And especially now, it is critical for our law enforcement officers to know that their sacrifices do not go unnoticed and are appreciated. This bill will uplift current law enforcement and encourage others to peruse a career in this honorable profession.
This week, Senate Republicans also proposed a ‘Parents’ Bill of Rights’ – a package of bills that would empower parents to be active partners in their child’s education. During the pandemic, my local districts tried hard to do all they could for the kids. However, statewide, remote learning during this unprecedented time greatly negatively affected our children’s education. This proposal would help address this by increasing school transparency, disclosure, and accountability to parents.
Parents have ultimate responsibility and play a central role in their child’s education, and we must affirm this. The foundation of this initiative is to ensure state schools are not withholding information about a child’s well-being or education. As part of this proposal, schools would be required to have a regular system for notifying families of school activities.
Since families know their own child’s individual educational needs best, another bill in this proposal would allow families to open Educational Saving Accounts. This would help give families more flexibility to enhance their public education or look to alternative school choices.
This week at the Senate, we also passed a $2.73 billion proposal, SF-2677, to immediately pay off the state’s $1.2 billion in Unemployment Insurance debt. This bill would pay the accruing interest, replenish the trust fund, protect employees’ benefits and help businesses survive.
Contact me
As always, if have questions or concerns on any legislative topic, feel free to contact me any time. You can call me at 651-296-5655 or send me an email at sen.mary.kiffmeyer@senate.mn. It is a privilege to serve as your state senator.
Sincerely,
Mary