Minnesota's collective nightmare is over. The legislature adjourned its special session this morning at 3:45 a.m. after quickly passing 12 bills and, now, Governor Dayton will sign the batch into law which will release state appropriations as early as tomorrow and Friday. The breakdown is over.

There are many more details to be parsed out, and the litany of budget cuts is long, but given the budget parameters determined by the Governor, the Speaker, and the Majority Leader its fair to say that vulnerable people were protected--but not without a lot of sacrifice.

First the good news:

• No safety net cuts to General Assistance and MFIP, which is a huge success and is a direct result of all the lobbying we've been doing since January. There are some small eligibility changes to GA, but the programs are intact and grants to clients are basically funded at forecasted levels.
• Eligibility for Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare is mostly preserved. Clearly the heath care system will creak and strain under the pressure of reimbursement rate cuts and some pieces of the reform will require many sacrifices, but the corner seems to have turned away from using an ax for surgery on the system. 

And now for the bad:

• Child care programs were hit hard, both in terms of funding child care services and grant programs to ensure programs. The loss is over $800 million to child care providers statewide.
• There was some strange legislating on the EBT cards (Electronic Benefit Transfer). The new law means that the food portion and the cash portion of public assistance grants will be split into two separate cards (costing more money to manage) so the state can restrict purchases of alcohol, tobacco, and tattoos with state-funded dollars.
• The MFIP consolidated fund was reduced by $20 million over the biennium, greatly reducing what case management services counties will be able to offer.
• Also, the Community and Child Services Act which funds county-based services to prevent or address neglect and abuse was reduced by $22 million

The revenue that allows much pain to be averted comes from borrowing, and this is bad public finance. We did not prevail on getting a progressive source of revenue into the Health and Human Services bill, but JRLC helped shape the debate about the human dignity and human needs of people on the margins of our community. 

To read Brian's detailed blog post on the Health and Human Services bill, click here.

Judges, Money, and Politics: The State of Judicial Elections in MN this Thursday
As a result of recent U.S Supreme Court decisions, the election of state judges is becoming more partisan and expensive. Some fear that Minnesota’s courts are in danger of becoming a battleground of big-money campaign contributors and partisan operatives. Co-sponsored by Coalition for Impartial Justice and JRLC. More information here. To request disability accommodations, please call 612-625-2530 or e-mail  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Date: Thursday, November 18
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. Panel discussion; 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Reception.
Location: Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
301 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455
THIS EVENT IS FREE! RSVP online at EventBright.

Help JRLC/JRERF win $1,000 just by giving as little as 10 bucks!
On Tuesday November 16th, Give to the Max Day, it could happen! $1,000 will be given to a random donor's charity every hour. You could be that donor! Our chances of you winning a Golden Ticket (worth $1,000 to us) increase during the hours that people do not normally donate. So if you're awake at 4:00 am on Tuesday morning, why not give to JRERF, JRLC's research arm? On Tuesday, Click on this link to give us an opportunity to win a Golden Ticket. Last year, more than 38,000 donors logged on to GiveMN.org and gave over $14 million to more than 3,000 Minnesota charities and nonprofits in 24 hours during Give to the Max Day. This year, the goal is 40,000 donors. The Joint Religious Education and Research Fund (JRERF), together with GiveMN.org, is working to make this happen.

Saturday Night: Social Justice "Speed Dating" for Young Adults. We don't know quite how to describe this in just a few words, so click here and join us!!!

Kitschen Table Politics, an Evening of Social Justice Speed Dating!!
JRLC's Emerging Organizers are hosting a November 13th evening of Social Justice Speed Dating where young adults, students, and anyone interested are invited to join us for conversation and kitschy fun as we discuss the issues that matter to us.  For more informationsee the flyer and help us spread the word! CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK!!

Plan to Vote Tuesday Nov. 2nd
Use this Poll Finder to find where you vote. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. If you are not yet registered, you can register when you go to vote. Here is a link telling you what you will need to register on election day: Election Day Registration. Need a ride?...Call the Rides Hotline at 1-877-50-RIDES. Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683) for any other questions you have.

Human Trafficking Webinar Offered Twice on Nov. 10
JRLC and its Interfaith Children's Advocacy Network (iCAN) is currently drafting an issue paper on human trafficking and state legislation. We'd like you to become more informed on this human rights issue and help us craft our interfaith response. This FREE webinar is offered twice on Wednesday, November 10; at noon and again at 7pm. More information here.

2011 Legislative Goals
Our 2011 Legislative Goals have been approved by the JRLC Board and sent to our four Sponsors for their approval. Review the Goals here.

Save these Dates!
Sunday January 9, 2011 -- JRLC's 40th Anniversary Celebration. Stay tuned for details on this wonderful, early evening event.
Thursday February 17, 2011 -- JRLC Day on the Hill. This year's theme is A Stronghold in These Times... and our keynote speaker will be Father David McCauley, interim executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference. Mark your calendar. Registration will open soon!