Dear Neighbor,
It’s been another busy week in the House with a mix of work with constituents and business at the Capitol. Here is some of the latest news and notes:
Stearns County Jail/Courthouse
I recently joined fellow area legislators to visit the Stearns County Jail and Courthouse to hear from local officials regarding issues they are facing in the hopes we can collaborate on solutions. One thing we discussed is how challenges related to attracting and/or retaining workers are making it even more difficult for the court to get caught up on a backlog of criminal cases that grew amid the pandemic. Thank you to our area officials who took the time to meet with us. I appreciate the opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look at both aspects of local government and look forward to working together on solutions to our local issues.
Paynesville Area Chamber of Commerce event
The Paynesville Area Chamber of Commerce recently hosted its annual meeting and awards banquet. I enjoyed attending, attendance was great and here’s a shout-out to all the local award-winners for their efforts and investment in our local communities. Here’s a link to more.
Firefighters visit St. Paul
With the Capitol back open for in-person meetings after pandemic-related disruptions, groups have resumed conducting their “Day on the Hill” events where they come to St. Paul to meet with legislators and discuss whatever issues are important to them. Firefighters organized such an event this week and I was pleased to host Dave Yurczyk – area resident and President of the Minnesota Fire Department Association – in my office.
Dave and I discussed some of the top priorities for firefighters this session, including emergency ambulance reform in response to a recent evaluation indicating the state’s oversight of emergency ambulance services is insufficient. Changes are proposed to better align the primary service areas with local governing units, creating additional transparency and input.
Abortion bill
The most noteworthy item from the Capitol this week is last night House Democrats approved a bill legalizing abortions at any time throughout a pregnancy and without any guardrails, putting our state’s abortion laws on par with just seven countries in the world, including radical regimes like North Korea and China.
With abortion already legal in Minnesota, this extreme stance House Democrats are taking is out of touch with average Minnesotans while threatening the health and safety of mothers and unborn children. The House Democrat bill allows does nothing to ensure that a woman seeking an abortion receives one in a safe or licensed environment.
House Republicans offered numerous reasonable amendments to provide missing safeguards to the bill, but House Democrats remained rigid and blocked every attempt. House Democrats then passed their bill (with all Republicans voting in opposition) and sent it to the Senate – which is our last hope to stop this proposal before it reaches the governor for enactment.
Watch for more news from the Capitol soon and, as always, your correspondence is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Lisa