Dear Neighbor,
My last newsletter examined how House Democrats made it clear the state’s views of government trump your religious beliefs.
Senate Democrats have a chance to right this wrong. In order for this to happen, they need to accept an amendment to restore to the Minnesota Human Rights Act a religious exemption for sexual orientation covered gender identity claims. It is unclear when that issue will be put to a vote since the Senate canceled a hearing on this bill scheduled for this week.
For now, I want to thank the members of our religious community and citizens in general who pushed back hard after House Democrats voted to crush religious freedom in our state. Your voices were heard, and we caused the Senate Democrats enough heartburn to at least postpone casting a regrettable vote.
School safety
The Minnesota House on Monday approved a bill to help get school resource officers back in buildings after a Democrat change in law caused them to be removed from schools throughout the state.
The issue started with an omnibus education bill (HF 2497) Democrats enacted into law in 2023, imposing new prohibitions on the use of force in schools, banning certain physical holds by “an employee or agent of a district, including a school resource officer, security personnel, or police officer contracted with a district."
The bill we approved excludes SROs as employees or agents of a school district, excludes SROs from the prohibitions on prone restraints and physical holds, revises the “reasonable force standard,” mandates school districts and charter schools use only trained SROs, and establishes new training and model policy requirements for law enforcement.
The House approved the bill (H.F. 3489) 124-8. That means even 26 of the 34 Democrats who issued a joint statement opposing a legislative fix to this issue flipped and voted “yes” with Republicans. The bill now awaits action in the Senate.
Sanctuary state
Many local residents continue reaching out to me urging my opposition to H.F. 3459, a bill to make Minnesota a sanctuary state.
I strongly oppose this bill, which would ban local or state law enforcement from assisting federal agencies in immigration cases. Minnesota counties have passed resolutions urging the Legislature to not support the sanctuary bill. They, in part, cited the negative impacts on budgeting taxpayer dollars and public resources.
The timing of this legislation could not be worse, effectively making Minnesota a haven for illegal immigrants at a time of crisis at our nation’s southern border. We have seen the problems caused in other states when they are impacted by large numbers of immigrants.
We need Congress to address the serious issues happening at our border but in the meantime, please know I am a “no” vote on this bill.
$1M to help LGBTQ relocate in MN
Should your tax dollars be spent on nonprofits to support LGBTQ individuals and their families who are in the process of relocating to Minnesota? House Democrats have authored a bill providing $1 million in tax dollars for this very purpose. Just curious whether you think this is a good use of tax dollars you provide the state.
Vote on state flag
In hopes of unifying Minnesotans on a new state flag, House Republicans have authored legislation allowing Minnesotans to vote on the new flag design that has been approved by the Minnesota State Emblems Redesign Commission.
Minnesotans not only have that right but want the right to vote on whether this new flag represents them. A recent analysis found that roughly 75% of Minnesotans have some level of dissatisfaction over the process to create a new state flag or the final product itself.
The new seal and flag are not official until May 11, so there is still time to address this issue.
50 cents more for gas?
The Senate hosted the first legislative committee hearing on S.F. 2584, the controversial proposal by House and Senate Democrats to implement a so-called Clean Transportation Standard.
This bill would authorize rulemaking to impose expensive and burdensome mandates that would raise fuel prices for Minnesotans by 40-50 cents per gallon or more in the coming years and decimate Minnesota’s ethanol and biodiesel industries.
With this bill, Democrats are pushing to make gas prices more expensive for every family in Minnesota and deliver a devastating blow to our agriculture economy. A diverse coalition of labor unions, agriculture groups, businesses, and countless others has lined up to oppose this bill because it will harm job growth, hurt our farmers and the agriculture economy, and raise fuel prices on families at a time when inflation is still far too high.
The common thread among these issues is it’s clear we need more balance in St. Paul.
Please stay in touch and, as always, your input is welcome and appreciated.
Sincerely,
Ben