Thank you to Senators:

No cuts to GA or MFIP

The Senate approved its human services budget bill late Wednesday night: it includes NO cuts to General Assistance or the Minnesota Family Investment Program. The Senate now has to negotiate with the House – whose budget includes $17 million in cuts to MFIP. The House cuts include cutting the already poverty-level assistance (targeting families who live in subsidized housing), cutting $8 million from the initiative to create short-term skill building jobs, and cutting the funding for services to families on MFIP.

If your senator voted in favor of the budget bill Wednesday night, send an e-mail or make a call and say thank you for not cutting General Assistance or MFIP. The list of who voted yes is below. If you need to know who your senator is or his or her contact information, click on http://www.gis.leg.mn/mapserver/districts/.

Your thank you will help create the resolve in the Senate to hold the line against cuts to what is left of the safety net. Remember: the spending on GA and MFIP together is only one-half of 1% of state general fund spending. It is the assistance we offer low wage workers who are unemployed or disabled and ill. It is the bare-bones alternative to unemployment insurance, paid sick leave and short and long-term disability insurance.

While the Senate and House negotiate with each other, legislative leadership will also be negotiating with the Governor. The session ends a week from Monday -- with high stakes politics about the unallotment, a solution to problem created by line item vetoing GAMC (the health care insurance for very poor adults) and a budget deficit all to be worked out.

The senators who voted yes on the Senate’s health and human services budget:

Anderson, Berglin, Betzold, Bonoff, Carlson, Chaudhary, Clark, Cohen, Dahle, Dibble, Dille, Doll, Fobbe, Foley, Higgins, Kelash, Kubly, Langseth, Latz, Lourey, Lynch, Metzen, Moua, Murphy, Olseen, Olson, M., Pappas, Pogemiller, Prettner, Solon, Rest, Rummel, Saltzman, Saxhaug, Sheran, Sieben, Skoe, Skogen, Sparks, Stumpf, Tomassoni, Vickerman, Wiger.