As the end of the legislative session approaches, Greater Twin Cities United Way’s advocacy team continues to advance our 2022 Policy & Advocacy Agenda through collaboration with our coalition partners and our efforts at the legislature. The Minnesota legislative process can be complicated, and we’ll walk through where we’re at, what to expect in the coming weeks, and how you can get involved.
Supporting Minnesota Families
Both the House and the Senate have released their omnibus bills, which are packages presented by each committee chair where single bills are bundled together, with the goal of passing multiple measures at the same time. As omnibus bills pass out of committee, they will head to the House and Senate floors for final approval from each body. Next the House and Senate will come together in Conference Committees, small groups of select legislators from each body, to negotiate which measures will be passed at the end of session.
During these final weeks, we will continue to express our support for the many policy and funding measures that continue to move forward, including:
- Addressing the Benefits Cliff: We will continue advocating for establishing continuous eligibility for Medical Assistance enrollees under age 21, which will reduce health coverage interruption that too often prevents Minnesota children from seeing a doctor when they need to, and for 6-month reporting for the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) to allow for longer periods of stability and decrease the likelihood of MFIP recipients becoming income-ineligible due to a brief increase in income.
- Increasing investments in and expanding access to high-quality, affordable, culturally responsive early childhood care and education. This includes early learning scholarships, Child Care Assistance Program, family home visiting and provider stabilization grants.
- Constructing and preserving affordable housing through bonding so that all Minnesotans have access to safe, stable, and affordable housing.
- Connecting youth to quality afterschool programming through Afterschool Community Learning Grants, which are associated with a wide array of improved developmental and academic outcomes for youth.
Advocate Alongside Us
We will continue advancing our advocacy agenda throughout the 2022 legislative session — and you can help. Join our Advocacy Network to stay tuned for action alerts in the coming weeks. Things move quickly at the legislature, so we appreciate your quick support and engagement.
Contact your legislators: As a constituent, your voice is valued, and your lawmakers want to hear from you. Find your legislator and their contact information. You can write an email, call your legislator or schedule a meeting.
- Introduce Yourself. Tell your legislator where you’re from and that you are a constituent.
- Make Connections. State clearly and concisely what issue you’re contacting them about, what your position is and what action you want the member to take. Share relevant personal stories and facts to help the legislator remember the issue. Stress how the issue impacts the legislator’s district. Visit our new Advocacy Toolkit to learn more.
- Thank them for their time. Let your legislator know that they will be hearing from you again and thank them for speaking with you.
