Dear Neighbor,
The Legislature is getting down to crunch time in the 2024 session, with the final full week right around the corner. We are scheduled to adjourn May 20 and, with many bills still up in the air, it will be interesting to see what happens over the next week or so.
Before we get to this week’s news and notes, I want to wish local moms a happy Mother’s Day as they celebrate their special day this weekend. Also, good luck to everyone in our area who plans to partake in this weekend’s fishing opener. Hope you have a great time and land some big ones.
As for official business:
Nice win for religious freedom
This week, we took a major step toward restoring religious freedom which Minnesota Democrats stripped from faith-based organizations last year.
The House and the Senate both approved a variation of Republicans legislation, amending the Minnesota Human Rights Act to re-establish protections for religious entities against discrimination claims. It’s on the governor’s desk to be put back into law.
Passage of this bill was necessary due to HRA legislation Democrats enacted in 2023, stripping religious protections that had been in place since 1993. Before last year, when gender identity was included (or subsumed) within the MHRA definition of sexual orientation, the still-existing religious exemption for sexual orientation covered gender identity claims as well. When a new, separate definition of gender identity was created last year, there was no corresponding religious exemption added.
It took a while to resolve this issue but, in the end, legislators came together to do the right thing for the people of our state and that’s the most important thing. We’ve seen the damage reckless legislating can cause and it’s good we nipped this one in the bud before it became a major court case where, regardless of the verdict, there truly are no winners.
I can’t say “thank you” enough to the members of our faith community who worked to find a bipartisan solution and the fact this legislation was approved without opposition says a lot. I’m grateful for this just outcome.
Controversial ERA bill
As nice as it was to pass legislation restoring religious freedom this week, there are big concerns growing regarding a different bill House Democrats are bringing through the process to erase rights for millions of Minnesotans.
The radical, revised, and misleading, “Equal Rights Amendment” will erase rights for millions of Minnesotans by enshrining highly controversial “gender theory” into our law, enabling babies in the ninth month to be aborted on demand for any reason, stripping Minnesotans of their right to religious freedom, and so much more.
I oppose this bill and will provide more as this situation unfolds. The bill is scheduled to come to the House floor on Monday.
CARE Carlton
I continue advocating for a solution allowing CARE Carlton to remain open locally after the governor proposed shutting it down. This is one item we must make sure reaches the finish line before adjourning from this session.
Until next time, have a great weekend. Again, happy Mother’s Day and good luck fishing.
Sincerely,
Jeff