Sen. Hoffman

At a time of political partisanship, two local Senators came together for the community. Senator John Hoffman and Senator Jim Abeler made the season bright for children who are in the hospital over the holiday at their 11th annual Tiny Tots Toy Drive. Toys collected were delivered by the Coon Rapids Fire Department to the pediatric wing of Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids as well as Prairie Care in Brooklyn Park.

In recognition of leadership to help Minnesotans facing substance use issues and in recovery, the Minnesota Association of Resources for Recovery and Mental Health (MARRCH) have named Senator John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin) and Senator Abeler (R-Anoka) their 2021 Legislators of the Year.

Thursday, May 20, was the tenth annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day, a day to bring awareness about digital access and inclusion, and the more than one billion people with disabilities/impairments who may face barriers in their digital experience. In 2020, Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM) analyzed one million home pages for accessibility issues and found that 98.1% of them had at least one failure in delivering a truly accessible experience.

Senator John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin) was appointed to the Health and Human Services Conference Committee Monday. Members of both the Senate and the House will now meet in this joint committee to find compromise and pass a final bill.

The Minnesota Senate passed SF 383, the omnibus human services reform budget bill on a bipartisan vote of 47-20. The bill includes an increase for PCA and other home care rates, new grants focused on self-advocacy and inclusion for people with disabilities, and several provisions to support family child care providers. The bill also includes support for substance use disorder programs, mental health services, and increased flexibility for service delivery.