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[On screen text: Minnesota Council on Disability Public Policy Update]
Trevor Turner: Hello everyone! My name is Trevor Turner, and I’m the Public Policy Director for the Minnesota Council on Disability, and I will be bringing today a legislative update from the 2021 Minnesota Legislative Session.
The 2021 Legislative Special Session has now officially ended as of July 1st, and our legislators narrowly avoided a government shutdown by reaching budget deals to fund government operations and services for the next two years.
Minnesota is unique among state governments because it is the only state government with a split legislature with the DFL or Democrat-controlled House and the GOP Republican-controlled Senate. This means that bills and budgets must have support from both political parties in order to pass, which can be difficult when discussing controversial or contentious topics, especially on how the state should spend its budget. Policy and lawmaking are hard, but this is intentional because it ensures thorough debate of bills & policies and political stability.
This year was a good one for disability policy and legislation because the number of disability wins this year is unprecedented. We saw great policies and reform in public transportation, employment protections, improved access to health care, expanded disability services, education, and much, much more. I will highlight some of those newly passed pro-disability legislation; however, it is by no means an exhaustive list.
The state budget was passed over 14 omnibus spending bills. These bills are each a collection of smaller policy and budget provisions that determine how much money each state department and agency gets over the next two years and how they can spend it.
One of the first omnibus bills to pass was the Transportation Omnibus bill. Transportation is important for the disability community, especially for public transit, because Minnesota is a car- and driver-centered culture. Getting around the state can be time consuming, difficult, or even impossible for many Minnesotans with disabilities. Fortunately, Metro Transit received continued funding from the Minnesota general fund in addition to a $57.5 million appropriation for improved and expanded rapid bus transportation. They also received $5 million toward improving biking, walking, and rolling paths. Metro Mobility also received continued funding through the Minnesota general fund and also ensured funding through the year 2027.
The pandemic affected a lot of people with disabilities, especially students with disabilities and in the Education Omnibus Bill, policies and support for students with disabilities and special education recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic was passed. It also created the Seizure-Smart Schools program which requires training and action plans regarding seizures in schools. And finally, mental health education resources from evidence-based instruction was included.
The Judiciary & Public Safety Omnibus Bill was –
Might have been one of the most debated bills of the session, largely because of the police reform provisions that were introduced. While much of the attention was devoted to police reform, a few key disability-related policy changes were included in the final bill, including an amendment to the Minnesota Human Rights Act guaranteeing the right to an interactive process, or a back-and-forth conversation, between employers and employees with disabilities when determining reasonable disability workplace accommodations. While this right is already ensured by these Federal Americans with Disabilities Act, it allows the state of Minnesota to provide guidance and enforcement of the interactive process.
The COVID-19 pandemic radically changed the workplace and what accommodations were considered reasonable, so this is a timely amendment that will help Minnesotans with disabilities navigate the new hybrid workplace.
In the Health and Human Services Omnibus Bill, it contains some of the most pro-disability provisions and will be truly transformational for many Minnesotans with disabilities. Many policy reforms centered around Personal Care Assistance or home and community based services, which so many Minnesotans with disabilities use for continued access to their communities. Some of the policies that were amended allowed PCAs to drive their clients, which provide greater community access to people with disabilities. Also, the PCA Rate Framework Reform was included, which increased pay for the PCAs through a union agreement allowing more people to enter and remain in the profession to support people with disabilities. It also allows parents and spouses of people with disabilities to be paid for providing PCA services. It also included a pilot project to provide support of parents with disabilities who have PCA services.
And it adds Informed Choice policies and definition to home and community-based services policies and services (HCBS).
It also included allergen-reducing products to be considered as Durable Medical Equipment or DMEs, and it includes enhanced asthma care services and updates and expands Telehealth coverage for a health providers and insurance, improving access to health care for people with disabilities in rural areas, limited mobility, or those who prefer Telehealth care.
It also establishes the Minnesota Inclusion Initiative grant program to support the inclusion of Minnesotans with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their communities.
At the Minnesota Council on Disability, we are excited to have had such a successful legislative session regarding pro-disability policy; however, we know that there is still much more work to be done, and we encourage you to contact your legislators and demand that they continue to support pro-disability legislation. I also would like to hear from you about what policies the Minnesota Council on Disability should prioritize in the 2022 Legislative Session. You can visit our website to find out more at disability.state.mn.us to learn more. Again, that is DISABILITY.STATE.MN.US.
Thanks and have a great day!
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[On screen text: Minnesota Council on Disability Public Policy Update]