But wait, there s more: Walz proposes second, $518 million bonding bill
Although it breaks Capitol tradition to pass a bonding bill in an odd-numbered year, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says additional capital investment could stimulate the economy and provide essential jobs. Written By: Sarah Mearhoff | ×
Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, signed into law a $1.9 billion local jobs and projects bill following months of debate and disagreement in the divided state Legislature. Dana Ferguson / Forum News Service
ST. PAUL Just months after the state approved a historically large infrastructure investment bill, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Monday, Feb. 22, proposed the Legislature pass an additional $518 million in bonding.
Workers cannot rejoin the workforce unless they have safe, reliable child care.
Written By:
Pat Baustian, Luverne Mayor and Heidi Omerza, Ely City Council | 10:50 pm, Feb. 19, 2021
After a harrowing year, we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. COVID-19 cases are trending downward, vaccinations are up, businesses are re-opening and children are venturing back to school. But as Greater Minnesota communities look ahead to the post-pandemic future, a stubborn barrier to economic recovery remains: a dire lack of available child care.
This problem is not new. Even before COVID-19 came on the scene, Greater Minnesota was short 40,000 child care spots. In Rock County, we need nearly 200 more spaces to meet demand. Ely needs 140. According to a June 2020 report from First Children’s Finance (FCF), the shortage impacts communities of all sizes and in all corners of the state. Here’s an estimate of the additional child care spots needed in a sampling of Gre
Marshall Helmberger
REGIONAL It appears mining companies on the Iron Range can afford to clean-up toxic water discharges at their taconite plants and tailings basins. But they likely won’t have to if new rules the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is proposing are enacted, as early as this year.
The new rules, designed to replace standards first established in the late 1960s, were the subject of a public hearing earlier this month before an administrative law judge in St. Paul. The public comment period on the new rules, which would all but eliminate numeric water quality standards for what are known as Class 3 and Class 4 waters in Minnesota, ends Feb. 24. (See sidebar for more on water classifications in Minnesota).
• St. Peter: 255
The pandemic caused more upheaval in an already unstable industry. Providers were suddenly hit with major income losses as families pulled their children out of child care (often due to parents who lost jobs or whose work situations changed as a result of the pandemic) and business costs increased as providers adhered to new public health guidelines.
While state and federal grants have helped, many providers are hanging on by a thread and some have opted to close indefinitely.
As communities look to reopen and repair their struggling economies, addressing the child care crisis is vital. Workers cannot rejoin the workforce unless they have safe, reliable child care. Likewise, our cities cannot attract new businesses and families unless we have a strong child care system.
As communities look to reopen and repair their struggling economies, addressing the child care crisis is vital. Workers cannot rejoin the workforce unless they have safe, reliable child care. Likewise, our cities cannot attract new businesses and families unless we have a strong child care system.