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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:106%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Minnesota Federationists:</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:106%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:106%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>There will be a hearing Thursday at 9:00AM in the House Ways and Means Committee on the House Human Services omnibus, which contains the Governor’s recommendations for a subminimum wage phase-out. Although there is broad and strong support for this move, the opposition is also active. Therefore the legislators need to hear from as many of us as possible that the time is now for ending this outdated practice and focusing resources instead on transitioning to a model that supports people moving into integrated competitive employment.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:106%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Below is an email template that you can personalize and send to key legislators (this will be helpful now as well as beyond this specific hearing, so the “to” in the template includes the senate and house leadership in general as well as the Human Services committee chairs in both houses). </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:106%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Here also is <a href="https://www.house.mn.gov/Committees/members/93028">the roster for the Ways and Means Committee with their contact info</a>; Contact any or all of them, but especially check to see if you are a constituent of any of these and be sure to send one to your representative if they are on this list.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:106%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>If you opt to call rather than email, you can just say “Please support the governor’s recommendations for phasing out the use of subminimum wages in Minnesota.” </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:106%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>If you’re interested in attending the hearing in person and/or have questions, please let me know. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:106%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Without further ado, here is the sample email, which you can simplify or modify as works for you.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:106%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-top:0in;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>To:</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:1rem;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:100%'><strong><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><a href="mailto:rep.melissa.hortman@house.mn.gov"><span style='color:black'>rep.melissa.hortman@house.mn.gov</span></a>; <a href="mailto:rep.jamie.long@house.mn.gov"><span style='color:black'>rep.jamie.long@house.mn.gov</span></a>; <a href="mailto:sen.kari.dziedzic@senate.mn"><span style='color:black'>sen.kari.dziedzic@senate.mn</span></a>; <a href="mailto:sen.bobby.champion@senate.mn"><span style='color:black'>sen.bobby.champion@senate.mn</span></a>; <a href="mailto:rep.mohamud.noor@house.mn.gov"><span style='color:black'>rep.mohamud.noor@house.mn.gov</span></a>; <a href="mailto:sen.john.hoffman@senate.mn"><span style='color:black'>sen.john.hoffman@senate.mn</span></a> </span></strong><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:1rem;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:1rem;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Subject:</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> Phase Out Subminimum Wages Now! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:1rem;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Email Body:</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br>(Please personalize this message!) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:1rem;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Dear Legislative Leaders,</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:1rem;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>The Minnesota Legislature has a historic opportunity to end the outdated, discriminatory practice of paying people with disabilities less than minimum wage. </span><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Please support the Governor’s proposal (included in the House Human Services Omnibus bill, </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><a href="https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/text.php?number=HF2847&version=1&session=ls93&session_year=2023&session_number=0"><b><span style='color:black'>HF 2847</span></b></a><b>) to increase wages and workforce participation for people with disabilities.</b> This bill will phase out subminimum wages and will strategically invest in providers to support the transition of their business models. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:1rem;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Decades ago, Minnesota led the effort to provide people with disabilities meaningful opportunities to work in their communities. Where Minnesota was once at the forefront of these efforts, the state now lags behind. Despite being less populated than about half of the country, Minnesota has the most workers paid at subminimum wage per capita in the nation. Some subminimum wage workers in Minnesota earn as little as </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>7 cents per hour. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:1rem;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>This bill advances the civil rights and economic inclusion of people with disabilities in Minnesota by expanding statewide infrastructure to support people with disabilities in competitive employment and ending the use of subminimum wages. I urge your support.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:1rem;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Sincerely,</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:1rem;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:100%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>[First and Last Name]</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:8.0pt;line-height:106%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:106%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></body></html>