Dear Neighbors,
This week in the Judiciary Finance and Civil Law committee, they heard a bill to automatically register people who apply for a driver’s license or other identification card to vote. There is also a bill moving through the House to allow illegal aliens to get driver’s licenses, and it is unclear how the two would interact to prevent ineligible people from registering to vote. When California adopted automatic voter registration, they incorrectly registered 23,000 people in the first nine months alone. If the Democrats pass automatic voter registration and driver’s licenses for illegal aliens, it is possible that illegal aliens could be registered to vote, and that is unacceptable.
I received some additional information this week about the bill to give illegal aliens driver’s licenses, and wanted to pass it along to you:
- The new driver’s license would look almost identical to current driver’s licenses, but with “not for voting purposes” printed on the back
- Establishes new “rights and protections” that would essentially create a new protected class of people where illegal aliens are protected from having their undocumented status disclosed to any other entities
- The bill establishes a civil fine of up to $10,000 for anyone who shares the protected data, even with federal law enforcement agencies
This week I introduced HF 2694, a comprehensive bill to address the Legislative Auditor’s investigation that found widespread fraud in the Childcare Assistance Program (CCAP). I’ve linked the press conference unveiling my bill below. My bill is far more comprehensive than what the Democrats have proposed, with increased penalties for fraud, streamlining investigations and prosecutions, implementing eligibility reforms, and increasing oversight by making the Office of the Inspector General an independent agency. Democrats have so far refused to give my bill a hearing.
On Thursday during the House session, we passed the final bill to allow school districts flexibility in calculating the days and hours of instruction for this school year. This year we’ve had an unusually high number of snow days, and this bill allows school districts to change how they calculate instructional days so they can continue to comply with state statute. It also allows districts to compensate eligible employees for those days using existing funds.
Please Contact Me
If you ever have comments, questions, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me. I can be reached via phone at 651-296-3201 or by email at rep.mary.franson@house.mn.
It’s an honor to represent the best!
