Minnesota Council On Disability

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Legislative Updates

Follow the progress of the Minnesota Council on Disability’s (MCD) legislative initiatives at the State Capitol through updates from Public Policy Director Trevor Turner.

Notice: Due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minnesota Legislature continues to operate differently. MCD will post legislative updates as timely as possible.

If you have public policy questions, contact Trevor Turner at Trevor.Turner@state.mn.us or 651-350-8642.

On this page:

February 1, 2023

January was a busy month. Not just for the Minnesota Council on Disability (MCD). but for the Minnesota legislature as well. The DFL-led (Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party) House and Senate have packed major legislative accomplishments into a few short weeks of session. A large number of disability-related bills have been introduced and are receiving hearings.

You can follow which disability-related bills are introduced with our Disability Bill Tracker, updated weekly.

MCD has been busy with:

  • Meetings with legislators
  • Drafting bills
  • Testifying on legislation
  • Providing letters of support
  • Many other things that go on during the Legislative Session

Testimonies and Hearings

HF 0170 – Becker-Finn: Certified Deaf Interpreters in Schools

MCD Public Policy Director, Trevor Turner testified on HF 0170, which would change state policy to allow Certified Deaf Interpreters in public schools. Current policy only allows for ASL (American Sign Language) interpreters, who are usually not native signers, unlike a Certified Deaf Interpreter. This bill allows deaf and hard of hearing students to receive instruction in the language of their choice and makes it easier for them to understand what is said in the classroom.

MCD Senate Informational Hearing

The Senate Human Services Committee hosted the Minnesota Council on Disability for an informational hearing about the agency. The following Council and staff members testified before the committee:

  • MCD Chair Nikki Villavicencio
  • MCD Executive Director David Dively
  • MCD Operations Director Linda Gremillion
  • MCD Public Policy Director Trevor Turner

MCD House Informational Hearing and Hearings on HF 0377 and HF 0480

The House Human Services Finance Committee hosted MCD for an informational hearing. They also heard two bills impacting the Council on Disability. The following Council and staff members testified about the work of the agency:

  • MCD Chair Nikki Villavicencio
  • MCD Executive Director David Dively
  • MCD Operations Director Linda Gremillion
  • MCD Public Policy Director Trevor Turner

HF 0377 is the MCD Capacity Building Budget bill. It would increase the appropriation for MCD so that the agency could hire additional staff and provide more programming and services for Minnesotans with disabilities. Chief author Representative Kim Hicks of Rochester opened with remarks on the need for more support if MCD is to serve Minnesotans with disabilities at a great capacity. MCD Public Policy Director Trevor Turner provided remarks about the agency and how the agency would use the additional appropriation.

HF 0480 is a constituent-initiated bill that would provide funding for MCD to develop a training module to assist small cities and counties to make their website more accessible. Often, due to budget constraints, small cities and counties forgo accessibility for their website and digital documents. HF 0480 is being carried by Representative Steve Elkins who provided opening remark about the bill, followed by MCD Policy Director Trevor Turner. He explained the bill in greater detail and answered questions from the committee members.

Bills with MCD Letters of Support

Upcoming Bill Hearings with MCD Testimony

January 19, 2023

The first week of the 2023 Legislative Session has come and gone, and it’s promising to be a very busy session. The Governor and Lt. Governor were sworn in for their 2nd term and they laid out their agenda for the next few months which includes fully funding special education with large investments in public education.

Legislators were also sworn into the new term and the DFL (Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party) continued their control over the House but also took control of the Senate from the GOP (Grand Old Party, that is, Republicans), completing the DFL trifecta of Minnesota’s government. The DFL laid out an ambitious plan for the 2023 session which includes improving taxes, protections for abortion rights, marijuana legalization, family and medical leave, infrastructure, and more. Notably absent however were priorities that would significantly impact the disability community such as fixing the PCA (Personal Care Assistant) homecare workforce crisis. The Minnesota Council on Disability is working with our legislators to urge them to prioritize disability issues in the upcoming session and we encourage Minnesotans with disabilities to contact their legislators and demand that disability issues be front and center in 2023.

The number one responsibility of the Legislature and the Governor in the 2023 Legislative Session is to pass a state budget for the next two years. This includes deciding how the $17.6 billion projected budget surplus will be spent. While many expect there to be lots of major legislation passed this session due to the DFL trifecta, the challenge now becomes getting the attention of lawmakers to also prioritize disability issues. This a priority for the Minnesota Council on Disability and we plan to hold our elected officials accountable to the disability community.

The first major piece of legislation that focuses on Minnesotans with disabilities is SF 0007 / HF 0032 introduced by Senator John Hoffman and Representative Mohamud Noor. This bill seeks to address the PCA homecare workforce crisis and was heard on Monday, January 9th in the Senate Human Services Committee. The hearing included lots of emotional testimony from those who impacted the most by PCA workforce crisis, like Dennis Prothero, who lost his legs and later his life due to the PCA shortage (WCCO “It’s a full-blown crisis”). While the bill is an excellent start, it is by no means the perfect solution and more needs to be done to fully resolve the crisis. The Minnesota Council on Disability urges lawmakers to support the bill and to continue to hear legislation that will help recruit and retain PCAs, so that Minnesotans with disabilities can continue to live integrated and independent lives in the communities of their choice.

You can watch the hearing and testimony: Senate Human Services Committee Hearing Jan. 9th, 2023 (Video).

Other MCD legislative priorities include the Employment and Retention of State Employees with Disabilities bill which will be authored by Representative Liz Reyer in the House. Minnesotans often face difficult or even insurmountable barriers in both finding and maintaining employment and the state of Minnesota is no exception. The state also does not have adequate disability representation in its workforce and far too often policies that have a great impact on Minnesotans with disabilities are being decided by a small group of non-disabled policy makers. Minnesotans with disabilities need not only our voices to be heard, but a seat at the state governing table. This is a “Nothing About Us Without Us” bill which would require more consultation with people with disabilities and those who are disability employment experts. Increasing disability employment and retention among the state government workforce creates a pipeline of future leaders and policy makers in our state enterprise system. When Minnesotans with disabilities are making the decisions in our cabinet agencies, the disability community in our state will be better off.

The next month will be busy and full of optimism that 2023 will be the most productive legislative session in years. This class of legislators contains one of the largest groups of freshman legislators Minnesota has ever seen. We hope this fresh optimism will serve Minnesotans with disabilities well in the coming session and the Minnesota Council on Disability is working hard to ensure that this happens.

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Page last updated: February 1, 2023