Senate Floor Session - 03/010/2022

Bills to boost research dollars for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and to enhance parent-teacher communication passed the Senate Thursday, March 10. Members also rejected consideration of a bill that would replenish the unemployment insurance (UI) trust fund while also providing bonus checks to pandemic frontline workers.

SF 3372, authored by Senator David Tomassoni, I-Chisholm, would provide $20 million in funding for ALS research and $5 million to aid the caregiving efforts of families. Members offered heartfelt tributes to Tomassoni, who was diagnosed with ALS last year. Senator Tom Bakk, I-Cook, who presented the bill on Tomassoni’s behalf, said he hopes that the funding will provide hope to future sufferers. “This isn’t a vote for Senator Tomassoni,” he said. “This is a vote for people we don’t know.” The bill passed unanimously, with Senator Tomassoni casting the final 67-0 vote.

On a vote of 36-31, the Senate gave its approval to SF 2666, a bill that would require teachers to provide parents with a syllabus outlining curriculum details within the first two weeks of a school term. The bill further requires teachers to notify parents of any adjustments to the plan during the course of the term. The bill’s author, Senator Michelle Benson, R-Ham Lake, said that parents became more involved with their children’s education during the pandemic and that continuing parental involvement is best for children. “Parents and teachers need to be partners in the education of our children,” she said.

Senator Steve Cwodzinski, DFL-Eden Prairie, a veteran teacher of social studies, applauded the notion of improving communication between parents and teachers, but said the requirement that teachers notify parents of changes to the schedule would create an undue burden on teachers. “The kids go to school, specifically to their social studies classes, to learn about what’s happening in the world today,” he said. “This is no bill of rights. It’s a mandate upon teachers,” he concluded.