,

Democrats Unveil Agenda For Next Legislative Session

Bills Put Forward Take On Student Loans, Mandated Sick Leave

By
Gilman Halsted/WPR

Democratic state legislators are rolling out their agenda for the next session and calling on the Republican majority to join them in passing legislation to help the middle class.

At a news conference at the state Capitol Wednesday, Democratic leaders introduced four bills they’re seeking bipartisan support for: A nonrefundable child care tax credit, a student loan refinancing plan, mandated sick leave for employees of private businesses, and the creation of a private statewide retirement board based on the state’s successful public employee pension plan.

Rep. Andy Jorgensen called on Republicans to give the bills a hearing.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“Whether you’re a college student, a senior citizen or a small business owner, we’re here to help you,” he said. “We’ve got ideas we think will. And if we can talk about them, maybe you can help us make them better and we can do this together. Wouldn’t that be something?”

Two of the bills were introduced last session and failed to get a hearing.