Dear Neighbor,
Another week, another fantastic turnout to report at a legislative town hall meeting in the area. This time, it was strong turnout in Bejou. We had a great conversation about a wide variety of issues, from child care to elder care, workforce issues and – of course – the Second Amendment.
Detroit Lakes is next on our town hall schedule with a meeting scheduled for 2 p.m. March 19 at Christian Fellowship Church (28048 Meadow Drive, Detroit Lakes). Hope you can join us!
In other news:
Deadline approaching
Today (Friday) brings us to the first legislative deadline of the 2023 session. This means that any policy bill introduced this session must be passed by committees in the chamber of origin (House or Senate) to continue in the legislative process and be viable for passage this session. This means more time is being spent in committee meetings as the majority conducts a heavy stream of hearings to keep bills alive. The deadline also means a number of ill-advised bills may now stall out, never to be heard from again this session (except never say "never"). Based on input I am receiving from constituents, many people are hoping that’s the case with the majority’s bills to ban in Minnesota the sale of water in plastic bottles and the sale of gas-powered lawn equipment.
Unfortunately, gun control bills already have made preliminary progress and remain in the mix for passage this session if the majority wants to continue its push. Interestingly, this subject has been relatively quiet around the House recently. Maybe it’s just the quiet before the storm. It’s also quite possible the majority already would have approved its gun-control bills if it had the votes to do so but Second Amendment supporters are making it tough for the anti-gun crowd. People continue reaching out to their legislators, speaking up and making a difference. It’s effective, but we must remain vigilant and cannot become complacent.
Public safety
Public safety was a major point of discussion last summer. Now that we are well into the 2023 session, it is concerning to see a total lack of follow through on those words. Nothing of substance has been accomplished – or even taken seriously – this session to combat abnormally high rates of violent crime in our state. The House majority has seemed more focused on reducing punishment for criminals than cracking down on violent crime and stopping the revolving doors for repeat offenders.
House Republicans have been working on a Safe and Sound Minnesota plan that focuses on confronting crime, supporting law enforcement and increasing transparency in our court system to help stop the revolving door for repeat offenders. I’m sure I will have more to say on this issue in an upcoming newsletter so stay tuned for more in this area.
Hope you have a good weekend and, as always, your input is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Matt