Legislative Session 2024

Updated April 26, 2024

LWVMN members at MN Capitol building rotunda, holding ERA YES signs

Priorities

Overview

The LWVMN board of directors has set these priorities for the 2024 MN Legislative Session based on prior legislative session results, input from community partners, their relevance to LWV’s mission, their political feasibility and urgency, and staff capacity. Our overall strategy is to:

Lead with regards to local Redistricting reform, in line with LWVUS, and the availability of a full-time volunteer lobbyist committed to this issue.
Ally with partners who are leading on legislation in all other priority areas.
Engage our members through involvement in our priorities, and assisting in facilitation of their individual interests that align with our LWVMN positions.
Continue to use a lens of racial justice in all our legislative work, and to especially acknowledge the intersectionality of racial justice with other issues.

2024 Legislative Priorities

Redistricting Reform - prioritize congressional and legislative, as well as local, redistricting reform to establish redistricting processes at the state and local level which are driven by citizens through citizen commissions; include prioritized principles that place minority representation and communities of interest above geographic and political considerations; and establish transparency through public input and review. Local redistricting reform will be specific to larger cities and counties, and will be similar in form and approach to changes to be taken at the state level. (Redistricting in 2024, pre-session update)
- HF4772/SF4729 - Elections Policy Omnibus bill which includes:
  - HF4043/SF3878 - Ending prison gerrymandering. Prison gerrymandering is a concerning practice where incarcerated individuals are counted as residents of the areas where they are imprisoned rather than their home communities for the purpose of drawing legislative districts. LWVMN Testimony in Support
  - HF3527/SF3994 - Minnesota Voting Rights Act. Ensures MN voters are protected from vote denial or dilution and assures the private right of action to preserve voting rights in the Federal Voting Rights Act which have been steadily eroded by federal courts. LWVMN Testimony in Support (Funding for this provision is included in HF4411 - Elections Finance Omnibus)
  - The House includes: HF4904 - Statutory cities authorized to create wards for election of city council members. LWVMN Testimony in Support.
- HF4593/SF4894 - Establishes an advisory citizens' redistricting commission with principles to ensure representation from minority and indigenous communities and requirements for partisan balance; proposes a constitutional amendment to create an independent citizen commission. LWVMN Testimony in Support
- HF4598/SF4785 - Constitutional Amendment Proposal to establish an Independent Redistricting Commission, prohibit legislative members from being lobbyists until a year after their term, and change when the legislature can remain in regular session. LWVMN Testimony
- HF4376/SF4084 - Establishment of citizen redistricting commissions to include minority representation and communities of interest in cities and counties meeting certain criteria. This would also require cities above a certain population (50,000 right now) to elect council members by wards, thereby increasing representation.
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) - promote the adoption of a ballot issue in 2024 or 2026 to add the ERA into the Minnesota State Constitution that is consistent with the positions of LWV.
- Proposed ballot question:
  "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to say that all persons shall be guaranteed equal rights under the laws of the state, and that the state shall not discriminate against any person on account of race, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, or sex, including pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, reproductive freedom, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation?"
Climate Change - continue to support the Minnesota Environmental Partnership in working toward solutions to climate change with a focus on zero waste solutions, protecting clean water and being a watchdog for environmental regulators with our volunteer-led Climate Change Task Force.
- SF3561 - Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act. This bill is included in HF3911, the House Environment and Natural Resources Omnibus (See Bill Factsheet).
- HF3566/SF3940 - Program established to collect and recycle electronic waste. See Factsheet on 100% E-Waste; LWVMN Testimony in Support
- SF3677 - Prohibition on banning merchant (plastic) bags removed. This bill is included in HF3431, the House State and Local Government Omnibus.
- HF820/SF755 - Balancing environmental protection and public safety by establishing a certified salt applicator program and limiting liability. Informative presentation to the Legislative Subcommittee on Water Policy by LWV Duluth & LWV UMRR members.

Other 2024 Statewide Priorities

LWVMN will also engage in education and support of the following issues, as time, resources and member engagement allow, ensuring that they are consistent with the positions of LWV and LWVMN.

Ranked Choice Voting - continue to support Ranked Choice Voting as an option for local governments, and become further educated about its feasibility for statewide elections.
- Included in: HF4411 - Elections Finance Omnibus & SF3868 - jurisdictions authorized to adopt ranked choice voting for local offices. The RCV Local Option proposal also provides guidelines for voting equipment and tabulation (LWVMN testimony in support).
Money in Politics - work with We Choose Us MN and Clean Elections MN to ensure that campaign finance regulation enhances political equality for all citizens, ensures transparency, protects representative democracy from distortion by big money, and combats corruption and undue influence in government.
- HF2793/SF2845 - small donor state match program established for contributions from individuals to political candidates. Under the program, small donations (such as up to $75) would be matched by public funds, with a higher match rate for in-district vs out-of-district contributions.
- HF1064/SF384 - a resolution memorializing Congress to overturn the United States Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC. This would put Minnesota in line with 22 other states to call for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that will allow Congress to regulate various forms of political spending.
- SF44311/HF4728 - Modernizes the Political Contribution Refund (PCR) program by establishing an online system that will be available to a wider audience of small donors. LWVMN Testimony in Support
End of Life Options - support laws ensuring end of life options.
- HF1930/SF1813 - End-of-life option established for terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less, otherwise known as Death with Dignity. LWVMN Testimony in Support

Deeper Dive

Learn more about these policies through our trusted partners:

We Choose Us - Core Policy Agenda, 2024 Priorities
MEP - Minnesota Environmental Partnership Collaborative Priorities 2024

Partners

LWVMN is proud to partner with many organizations and coalitions that share our pro-voter mission and pro-democracy values. For the 2024 legislative session, these include:

Positions

Members of LWVMN are able to advocate on issues which have been studied, and voted upon by its members. A full review of LWV positions at the US and State level can be found in our Program for Action. A review of past LWV studies can be found here.

Observer Corps / Lobby Corps

LWV members get involved in the legislative process through our Observer & Lobby Corps (OCLC). This process educates members about how to effectively advocate for issues, and acts to inspire and coordinate member action with legislators to achieve our desired policy outcomes.