2008 Legislative Session
2008 Legislative Summary
The 2008 legislative session came to an end Sunday, May 18, 2008. The Coalition for Responsible Sex Ed set out this session to get a bill passed and to the Governor. While we didn’t quite reach that goal, we keep inching forward. Our sex ed bill passed off both the House and Senate floors and was included for the first time in both sides going in to conference committee. Despite this advantageous position, we were eliminated during conference committee negotiations for the second year in a row.; After failed negotiations with the Department of Education, the Governor’s staff and finally the Minnesota Family Council, bill authors Senator Sandy Pappas and Representative Neva Walker attempted to pass a stand alone bill with compromise language that would have amended the current STI statute. When this compromise was still met with opposition from the Minnesota Family Council, a final bill was not sent to the Governor.
We couldn’t continue to move this issue forward without our authors and advocates Senator Pappas (contact form) and Representative Neva Walker (rep.neva.walker@house.mn). Please join us in thanking them for their strong voices in support of Minnesota youth receiving the complete and accurate information they need to make safe and healthy decisions.
For more information about what happened at the Capitol, contact Lorie Alveshere at lorie@moappp.org or Amy Brugh at amy.brugh@mnaidsproject.org.
To view Minnesota press coverage of the issues, visit our In the News page.
2008 Youth Lobby Day a Success!
On April 8th, youth from around the state gathered at the Capitol to send a message of support for responsible sex education as a statewide policy. The first every rally attracted the attention of media and legislators. Over 55 youth lobbied over 40 elected officials and shared personal stories of how the decisions made at the Capitol affect their lives.
