Take Action for Childcare Assistance
The Family Economic Security Act, the three-pronged legislation that could significantly reduce poverty in Minnesota, has been split into separate bills for each of its components. There is support in the legislature for two key parts of the Family Economic Security Act: raising the minimum wage and increasing tax credits for low-income families. The third part is fully funding childcare and expanding eligibility to 300% FPG, and passage of this measure is less certain, particularly given that the House and the Senate are set to reduce the Health and Human Services budget by $150 million.
Learn more about the Family Economic Security Act:
- Day on the Hill Briefing Sheet
- Alison's blog post: Top 5 Reasons to Support the Family Economic Security Act
TAKE ACTION: Contact members of the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee and the Senate Finance Committee Health and Human Services Division.
Tell them: "Please increase funding for the Child Care Assistance Fund, which is vital to the success of low-income working families and their children."
Take Action for Sexually Exploited Youth
Research by the State of Minnesota indicates that sex trafficking is the most prevalent form of human trafficking within the state, especially of women and children. Based on FBI data from 2008, Minneapolis was identified as one of thirteen U.S. cities having a high concentration of criminal activity involving the commercial sexual exploitation of juveniles.
JRLC supports funding for the Safe Harbors / No Wrong Door bill (SF 384 - Pappas; HF 485 - Allen), which would build a network of specialized services for victims of human trafficking. The House Housing Finance and Policy Committee has passed an omnibus bill that includes $2 million allocated to the Safe Harbors bill. This is great news, but it only gets us part way to the $13.5 million that are needed over the next two years to fully fund victim services.
- For more information about Safe Harbors, read JRLC's Day on the Hill 2013 briefing on the issue.
- For more information about human sex trafficking in Minnesota, read JRLC issues paper, A Violation of Human Dignity (2012).
TAKE ACTION: Contact Speaker of the House Paul Thissen, Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, Rep. Tom Huntley (Chair of the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee), and Sen. Tony Lourey (Chair of the Senate Finance Committee Health and Human Services Division).
Tell them: "It is worth .01% of the $11.2 billion Health and Human Services budget to save the lives of sexually exploited children in Minnesota. Please allocate 13.5 million to the Safe Harbors / No Wrong Door Bill - SF 384/HF 485."
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