2025 Legislative Agenda

Watch our 2025 Legislative Kickoff Webinar for an overview of our Advocacy Pillars and Priorities for 2025: Click Here!

JRLC's Current "one-pager" available here.

As part of better defining the purview of JRLC's advocacy, our coalition has adopted the following Advocacy Pillars as a guideline for what areas we are best suited to lead on, identify issues where we can be an effective partner, and what issues we are not equipped to tackle.

1. The protection of basic human dignity.

2. Safeguarding and promoting family economic security and wellbeing.

3. Fostering responsible participation in public life.

Our Legislative Agenda for 2025 reflects these areas of focus.

 

2025 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

Summary

The ideas below reflect the JRLC’s focus on where we can be most effective and provide our unique perspective, and where our faith communities can come together on issues that reflect our shared values. We use the following tiers to focus our limited resources: JRLC Leads –we are leading the effort; JRLC in Coalition –we are active in the effort as members of a coalition.

JRLC Leads

Addressing Gambling Expansion

As advocates for gambling expansion push to create easy access to sports betting, daily fantasy sports and other online gambling, the JRLC supports limits on access to online gambling and adequate support for those dealing with gambling addiction and their families. JRLC opposes the expansion, but emphasizes harm mitigation measures in our advocacy.

Maternal Mortality and Morbidity

Low-income women and women of color are significantly more likely to die during or within one year after childbirth for causes related to pregnancy or delivery. Minnesota has a committee that reviews all cases of maternal mortality to identify ways to improve care. The JRLC discovered that in many cases, the investigators at the Department of Health do not have access to Medicaid (and in some cases insurance) data that would allow them to review the prenatal medical history and care provided to these women. It is impossible to address these disparities and make recommendations for improved care without this data. We will be leading an effort to make this important information available to the Department of Health. We also will be looking at action to include data on maternal morbidity (serious health event but mother survives, such as a seizure or excessive bleeding) that would also assist in providing quality care.

Marriage Penalties; Widowed Military Spouse Education Benefits

Currently, if the widowed spouse of a service member is receiving education benefits under the MN Veterans Assistance Program or Minnesota GI Bill, they lose that education cost reimbursement if they get remarried- this assistance can provide thousands in tuition reimbursement, a significant deterrent to marriage. Our bill enables the surviving spouse to maintain this benefit, regardless of if they remarry or not.

 

Promoting Family Economic Security, Including Protecting the Social Safety Net and Expanding the Child Tax Credit

With Minnesota’s budget outlook for the coming year, JLRC believes it is imperative that the social safety net be prioritized. Benefits like the Child Tax Credit and MFIP should not be sacrificed. Minnesota went 20 years without an increase in MFIP benefit amounts for recipients, and we must not lose the ground we have made up in recent years. We should not be balancing our budgets on the backs of vulnerable Minnesotans.

 

JRLC in Coalition with Partners

 

Security Funding for Religious Nonprofits in State Budget- JRLC in Coalition with the JCRC.

Currently, state funding allocated toward security expenses for synagogues, mosques, and other religious nonprofits under threat of violence must be reallocated every budget cycle. This proposal would make security funding an ongoing allocation in the state budget.

 

Transitional Housing as an Eligible Use for Shelter Capital– JRLC in Coalition with the MN Coalition for the Homeless.

There is an increasing need for transitional housing in Minnesota. Currently, transitional housing is not considered a permitted use for shelter capital funds. This proposal would specify transitional housing as a permitted use for these allocations.

 

JRLC will continue to monitor and actively explore options for potential JRLC advocacy in 2025 that will engage our base towards our Strategic Plan goals and will consider:

  • If there is a gap in leadership that JRLC could fill.
  • The interest of our sponsoring organizations (meets our values).
  • The ability for the issue to engage our base.
  • The capacity of the Executive Director.