Legislative UpdateThis month, the House Health Finance and Policy Committee held a hearing on a bill to legalize assisted suicide. Under the Democrats' one-party rule in St. Paul, the major bills they've been pushing have been new ways for Minnesotans to end life, first through the most extreme abortion bill in the country, and now through assisted suicide. This bill has plenty of problems, including the lack of a residency requirement. If the bill passes as-is, Minnesota would become a nationwide destination for assisted suicide. In addition, the current bill restricts assisted suicide to individuals 18 or older, but the legislature has a long history of expanding a minor's right to consent to healthcare. If we open the door to assisted suicide, there is nothing stopping a future legislature from expanding assisted suicide to minors. In Canada, where assisted suicide is currently legal, advocates want to expand it to include "advanced minors". This is unconscionable. At least one Democrat Senator has publicly opposed this bill. Senator John Hoffman wrote an op-ed in 2023 calling assisted suicide dangerous, and raising concerns over consequences for vulnerable populations. I've included one important observation from Sen. Hoffman's column below: The risk lies not in undervaluing personal autonomy for the few who currently want assisted suicide, but in normalizing attitudes that prioritize convenience over compassion. We are already seeing this dynamic at work in Canada, where the list of eligible persons continues to expand and where veterans with disabilities are offered assisted suicide drugs instead of coverage for things such as wheelchair lifts.
Because this bill was heard outside of the regular legislative session, no official action was taken on it. Once session begins, it will need a full committee hearing and to make it through the committee process before it can even be heard on the House Floor. Session begins February 12th, and I hope we are able to hit the ground running with fixes for the major problems with last year's bills, including the school resource officer (SRO) law that saw over 40 school districts remove SROs from schools because of the law, as well as the multiple problems with the tax bill that could cost Minnesotans more money on taxes because of mistakes in the bill. In-District MeetingsRecently, I have visited the schools of Holy Trinity in Winsted and Sibley East in Arlington. I met with faculty and students, toured the schools, and learned how recent legislation is affecting each school. County Commissioners in both Carver and McLeod held legislative priorities meetings recently, and county employees gave presentations on how recent legislation impacts the counties. A few of the areas covered include roads and bridges, health and human services, and the many unfunded mandates passed last session. Often the state passes legislation which doesn’t include adequate funds to cover the cost of programs and services. I heard several requests during these meetings for changes that will reduce these unfunded mandates and mitigate the negative impacts of last session's bills, and I look forward to supporting bills this session that accomplish that. |