BONNIE'S LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

Minnesota is rated one of the best quality-of-life states.  But we still face many challenges. Here are Bonnie's top legislative priorities.

Transportation

I will work to fund a comprehensive transportation package, including a long-term plan for repairing and maintaining our transportation infrastructure, which will lift more Minnesotans out of poverty, expand transit service in rural communities, and help narrow racial disparities. 

• Efficient, affordable, and accessible transportation
• Rapid transit lines across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, that will help put 500,000 more Minnesotans within a 30-minute commute of jobs
• Modernized gas tax dedicated to our roads and bridges

Job creation and the economy

I will help develop an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.

• Keep Minnesota a competitive place to do business, for small, family-owned businesses and large companies alike
• Create more opportunities for low-income Minnesotans to fully engage in the economy
• Institute paid time off for employees to care for a sick family member or new baby
• Help and encourage employers to recruit, attract, train and retain a more diverse workforce
• Ensure paid time for sick leave
• Confront the challenge of racial and economic disparities
• Invest in the infrastructure of our colleges and universities, which are facing facility needs, such as repairing leaking roofs and cracked walls
• Invest in the maintenance of our economic infrastructure, including bonding investments that create good-paying jobs and increase private investment opportunities
• Increase private investment
• Improve incomes for all Minnesotans so that everyone has the opportunity to earn a good living, support their family, and retire securely
• Strengthen our state's economy
• Invest in minority-owned businesses and small businesses

Education

I will work to eliminate the achievement/opportunity gap, expand learning opportunities, and ensure that Minnesota continues to have one of the most highly educated workforces in the nation.

• Increase funding for early childhood and k-12 education
• Attract and retain quality teachers
• Adopt student loan forgiveness programs
• Ensure proper funding for all schools, regardless of their zip code
• Invest in professional development for our educators
• Work toward a better ratio of students to school counselors (currently 754 to 1)
• Implement high quality preschool for 4-year-olds and push for more investment in early childhood education
• Improve education at every level
• Making higher education more affordable by holding down tuition costs and reducing student debt

Healthcare

I want to hold up “the Minnesota Model” of healthcare delivery as a way to make our healthcare systems more cost-effective by rewarding health care providers for outcomes rather than paying them for the number of services they provide.  As your State Senator, I will:

• Promote policies that reward healthcare providers for outcomes rather than more expensive fee-per-service healthcare delivery
• Hold insurance companies accountable for their responsibility to cover mental healthcare services just as they cover physical healthcare 
• Provide access to affordable high-quality healthcare and improved health outcomes
• Invest in services for seniors in nursing homes, children in our mental health system, the working poor to ensure access to quality care for all of our citizens
• Ensure adequate support for the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) and other prevention initiatives
• Develop our mental health system to better meet the needs of Minnesotans who have mental illnesses and/or chemical dependency issues