I was honored to be presented with an award this week at the Epic Enterprise banquet for my support for Minnesotans with disabilities and the workers who take care of them. I received a plaque for “dedicated service and advocacy for people with developmental disabilities.”
The group specifically recognized one of my speeches on the house floor this past session about the harm impending budget cuts would have on the disability community in Minnesota. The speech was in support of an amendment to the final Health and Human Services bill that I authored which would have mitigated some of the cuts made to care providers for those with disabilities. Unfortunately, the amendment did not make it into the final bill. I was quoted as saying,
“Legislators often make analogies comparing our state budget to the budget of a family. But most Minnesota families I know do not first harm the most vulnerable in their family when times are rough.”
I continue to visit nursing homes and care facilities in my district to find out how budget cuts and this recession are affecting them and I will bring their voices to the State Capitol this session.