ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota’s Democratic leaders pledged Wednesday to use their new control of the state Legislature — and a $17.6 billion budget surplus — to improve the economic security of residents and to quickly enact protections for abortion rights.
“We truly are moving swiftly, more swiftly than I can remember in my 18 years of service, because that’s what Minnesotans expect and deserve,” House Speaker Melissa Hortman, of Brooklyn Park, said at a news conference on the first day of bill introductions of the 2023 session.
The Democratic proposals include a plan for employer-funded paid family leave and sick time. Hortman said it would help remedy the state’s workforce shortage. Minnesota has the lowest unemployment rate in the country, and the lack of workers has hampered the ability of…
