Dear Lakeville Neighbors,
The first month of the 2019 legislative session has come to a close and things are starting to pick up at the capitol. Committees have started to hold hearings on a variety of bills that touch on all sorts of subjects. A few of the issues that have emerged during this first month include a bill that would legalize recreational marijuana and legislation that would ban the use of handheld devices while driving.
Recreational Pot
Authored by Democrat Rep. Mike Freiberg, House File 420 was introduced earlier this week. His bill would legalize marijuana for recreational use in Minnesota. The bill has received a lot of media buzz as the pro-legalization movement has spread across the nation as more and more states are having conversations about legalizing cannabis.
I have had conversations with local law enforcement in Dakota County including our county attorney James Backstrom, and sheriff Tim Leslie and both have informed me that they are not supportive of any measures that would legalize marijuana use in Minnesota. Those conversations coupled with discussions I’ve had with folks around Lakeville have helped inform my decision not to support legalization of marijuana.
While I appreciate the enthusiasm that supporters of legalization may have, I simply do not think it is the right policy direction to take our state. In fact, for every new tax dollar gained, studies show it will also cost taxpayers $4.50 to mitigate the effects!
Distracted Driving
Another piece of legislation that received a great deal of attention this week is a bill that expands an already existing limitation on texting while driving. Under the proposed legislation, all handheld mobile device usage would be banned, except if voice activated or literally, using one-touch activation. The ban includes making phone calls, texting, accessing applications, podcasts and playing audio or video content. It would include exceptions for some emergency situations, and for use in emergency vehicles when used for official duties.
This legislation was drafted to address the issue of distracted driving due to cell phones—a critical issue of safety. In fact, the Department of Public Safety shared data that revealed that distracted driving causes roughly 20 percent of crashes on the state’s roadways. Cell phone use, especially texting while driving, is a leading cause of distracted driving.
I am generally supportive of this bill and believe that we need to address distracted driving here in Minnesota. However, I do have some concerns with the bill and worry that it may be too restrictive in some cases. The language of the bill changed from the initial introduction and has become more restrictive and harder to comply with than originally intended. Nevertheless, the reality is that this bill will almost certainly become law. It has support in the House, Senate and with the Governor. In the meantime, I plan to work on ways to improve it including addressing concerns some have with data privacy, improving its functionality, and ensuring that criminal penalties associated with the legislation do not become too stringent.
Federal Government Temporary Agreement
Finally, I am pleased to see the federal government has been re-opened after the longest shutdown in our nation’s history. I am hopeful that President Trump and legislative leaders will be able to strike a deal that will more permanently meet the budgeting requirements. I, like many, was concerned about the impact the shutdown was having on federal employees, contractors, and their families.
I do get a kick out of a few who think we need to work on federal issues in Washington D.C. – we don’t. I’m content to be here in St. Paul working to represent you in our state government. I do hope that there develops a global agreement to strengthen our borders and security and provide long discussed immigration reform. I applaud the President for his leadership to re-open the government for the sake of federal workers, over his own policy goals.
That’s all for this week’s Koznick Connection. Next week I’ll be sharing on a few other hot topics and some (new) legislation I’m working on.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Jon Koznick
Assistant Minority Leader
State Representative, Lakeville, 58A