Public Policy Issues Archive (3.07.05)

This legislative update published March 7, 2005

"The family unit plays a critical role in our society and in the training of the generation to come."

—Sandra Day O'Connor

1.  Over 350 Rally for Violence Against Women Day at Capitol

1.  Over 350 Rally for Violence Against Women Day at Capitol

Over 350 people from across Minnesota gathered at the State Capitol last Thursday to show support for funding and policy initiatives for violence prevention. 

House Minority Leader Matt Entenza (DFL-St. Paul) gave a moving account of growing up in an abusive home.  Attendees also heard from Rep. Steve Smith (R-Mound), chair of the Judiciary Finance Committee who voiced his support for legislation to define strangulation as a felony offense.

A survivor of domestic violence strangulation, Alyson Olsen told the crowd “due to current state law, my former boyfriend was only charged with misdemeanor assault for strangling me, despite the fact I felt as though I was moments from death, a view shared by police officers who were at the scene.”  Olsen received services at Anna Marie’s Alliance in St. Cloud. 

Over 20 Tubman Family Alliance staff, clients and volunteers were among those in attendance.   The event was organized by the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women.

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2.  Housing Rally at the Capitol - March 10
Affordable housing is often all that stands between a family and a return to homeless shelters—or to an abusive household.  At a state Capitol rally sponsored by HousingMinnesota and the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless, inform legislators about housing and homelessness issues and shape important policy and resource decisions necessary to maintain housing resources. 

To learn more, visit www.housingminnesota.org/lobbyday or contact Tom Goldstein of HousingMinnesota at 651-649-1710x106.  Please register in advance, so that organizers can help arrange visits with your legislators.

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3.  Marriage Promotion Bill to Hurt Abused Women – Hearing March 9
Welfare reform is currently before Congress, as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding runs only until March 31.  TANF is a block grant funding Minnesota's main cash assistance program, and has also developed into a major source of child welfare and child care funding.  The U.S. Senate’s Finance Committee is now putting together a bipartisan bill to be heard this Wed., March 9.

Contact Senators on the Finance Committee, and other Senators who have championed important TANF issues, to weigh in now on what should be in the Finance Committee bill.  Any welfare bill must be responsive to the specific needs of victims of family violence and their families, including:

• Strengthen the Family Violence Option to Cover All States
• Expand Education and Training Opportunities that Help Lift Women Out of Poverty
• Oppose Marriage Promotion Proposals for Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence

To contact Minnesota Senators, click on the links below:

Senator Mark Dayton (D-Minnesota)

Senator Norm Coleman (R-Minnesota)

In anticipation of an especially difficult budget season, Republican and Democratic staffers in the Senate have been meeting regularly to explore common ground for moving a TANF reauthorization bill.  The goal of the bipartisan meetings is to develop a bill that both Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Ranking Member Max Baucus (D-MT) could agree to pass in the Senate Finance Committee and then put on the U.S. Senate floor. They are using the bill that emerged from the committee last year—Personal Responsibility and Individual Development for Everyone, or "PRIDE"—as their starting point.  As a bipartisan bill, they are working to accommodate concerns of senators on both sides of the aisle by accepting certain changes to PRIDE. 

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4. Family Law Bill Draft Distributed in Senate
Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee held a brief meeting March 3, to consider two bills and to receive copies of a major child support bill. Bill S.F. 630, sponsored by Sen. Thomas Neuville (R-Northfield), makes numerous changes in laws governing child support. Neuville distributed an amendment to remove his measure to drastically change child support laws.

"I sincerely would like to reach a consensus on the bill, so I would like to solicit comments from all sides of the issue," Neuville said. He said the bill contains an income shares approach to determining child support.  An income share approach takes into consideration the incomes of each of the parties in determining child support. Neuville said a hearing on the measure would take place in the coming week.

The House version of the bill is expected to be introduced by Rep. Steve Smith (R-Mound).

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5.  Crime Victim Protection Against Employer Retaliation
“In Minnesota now, there is no way for victims or their families to protect themselves from employer retaliation”, said Rep. Michael Paymar (DFL-St. Paul), who is sponsoring bill H.F.443.  The bill would extend the same protection to victims of domestic abuse so they could attend court proceedings.

The penalty would be a misdemeanor charge and would also open the door in civil court for victims to recover back pay.  The bill is being held over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.  There is, at present time, no companion bill in the Senate.

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6.  Suicide Prevention Programs Face Budget Cuts
Suicide attempts and mental health problems are reported at much higher rates for youth experiencing violence at home.  Nearly half of these victimized youth report having thoughts of suicide, a rate 28 percent higher than their peers.*

A proposed budget cut would eliminate Minnesota suicide prevention grants.  Governor Tim Pawlenty has said that federal funding is being sought to replace it, but this alternate source, if it does come through, will be too late to sustain efforts already underway.  Federal dollars address only the needs of college age students, leaving behind the needs of youth and adults. 

If you would like to view Governor Pawlenty’s proposed budget for Minnesota Department of Health, where suicide prevention grants are housed, or the overall budget click here.

Learn more about suicide prevention at the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program in Minnesota.

*Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota Department of Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Unit, Minnesota Student Survey, 2001.

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7.  Proposed Minimum Wage to Increase
Economic vulnerability has become a major barrier for victims of family violence, who feel forced to choose between their safety and economic security in an abusive household.  Abusive partners obsessed with power may deny their victims access to work outside of the home, education to increase job skills or influence over family finances.  Survivors of abuse need livable wage jobs to move towards self-sufficiency and violence free lives. 

Minnesotans at the bottom of the pay ladder could start taking home $56 a day—up from the $41 per day earned under the current minimum wage.  Minnesota's current minimum wage is the same as the federal minimum wage, and has not increased since 1997.  A bill to increase the minimum wage, S.F. 3, passed the Minnesota Senate by a vote of 37 to 28. 

This bill would raise the minimum wage payable by large employers from $5.15 an hour to $6.10 on July 1, 2005, and to $7.00 one year later. The minimum wage payable by small employers would rise to $5.85 and $6.75 on the same dates. Also increased would be the training wage, payable to employees younger than 20 during their first 90 days of work. It would rise from $4.25 to $5.15.  

Data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development show the increase would boost the pay of about 50,000 workers, including 3,500 in the Arrowhead region of Northeastern Minnesota, based on 2003 job figures.  Senator Ellen Anderson (DFL-St. Paul), one of the chief authors of the bill, has pointed out that the shift would also help other lower-end wage earners, possibly helping as many as 500,000 Minnesotans.

The bill has been sent to the House and has been referred to the House Commerce and Financial Institutions Committee.  The Committee chair, Representative Tim Wilkin (R-Eagan), has not yet scheduled a hearing, and has said he will not guarantee one. 

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8.  Minnesota Forms First Mental Health Caucus in the Nation
On a historical note, the Minnesota Legislature’s have formed a Mental Health Caucus, the first of its kind in the country.  Rep. Mindy Greiling, Sen. Linda Berglin, Rep. Bruce Anderson, and Sen. Steve Dille organized the caucus.  The caucus will be a conduit for examining issues affecting children and adults with mental illness across committee lines and a forum to learn more about particular issues.  In the upcoming months they will look at decriminalization of mental illness, children’s mental health, and the Minnesota Mental Health Action Group. 

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9.   Upcoming Hearings
 

• Marriage defined as the union of one man and one woman, and constitutional amendment proposed.
  *** Note: *** Meeting will be held in Grand Rapids, Minnesota – Center for Performing Arts 

• Felony-level criminalization of domestic abuse strangulation.

• Enforcement of violations of domestic abuse restraining orders.

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10. Contact Us
This legislative update is produced by Tubman Family Alliance, a pioneer in family violence prevention nationwide.  Tubman Family Alliance offers a full range of services for all community members—men, women, and children—with the aim of preventing and ending family violence. 

Get involved by volunteering at Tubman Family Alliance, or invite the Tubman Speaker’s Bureau to bring violence prevention outreach to your workplace, faith community, civic group or professional association. 

For further information on legislative issues and how you can help take action, contact Randy Schubring, Director of Public Affairs at Tubman Family Alliance at 651-770-8544/612-825-3333 or at grassroots@tubmanfamilyalliance.org.

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This Public Policy Update Published March 07, 2005.
Editor: Randy Schubring

Writers: Christina Fahling and Margaret Ostrander