Dear Neighbor,
First off today, congratulations to the Andover boys hockey team for rallying to claim third place in the state Class AA tournament last weekend. Great season, Huskies!
As for news from the Capitol:
Education notes
Another busy week of work in St. Paul is coming to a close and I look forward to meetings I have scheduled back in our area this weekend. This includes joining fellow District 31 legislators for a meeting with local educators and others to discuss a host of issues.
Of course, concerns over education funding could be addressed. Questions also could come up regarding why reports show half of Minnesota’s students are unable to read proficiently at grade level.
I’m curious to hear responses to the Reading Reset package House and Senate Republicans have assembled. The proposal would establish a special revenue fund, not unlike a disaster relief fund, from which schools can apply to cover costs related to aligning their curriculum and instructional practices to the science of reading.
This should be an interesting conversation and I may share more about it in an upcoming newsletter.
On a related note, House Republicans on Wednesday made a floor motion to bring forward a “minority report” proposal on education. It primarily addresses the aforementioned lack of proficiency in reading among students in our state. The proposal emphasizes foundational literacy and grade-level proficiency, parental notification/involvement, interventions, local plans, reading strategies, testing, innovation and more.
Unfortunately, the majority tabled this plan, blocking a vote on the proposal as a whole. I will continue to advocate for prioritizing achievement and parental empowerment in education.
Safe & Sound Minnesota
Minnesota continues to suffer escalated rates of violent crime and House Republicans have put forth a Safe & Sound Minnesota plan – the first comprehensive action we’ve seen on this subject in the 2023 session.
Public safety is government’s first responsibility. Minnesotans are concerned about the increase in violent crime in our state and it is time we get serious about common-sense solutions to help officers do their jobs, ensure our laws are enforced, and hold criminals accountable.
This package is in stark contrast to Democrats, who seem more interested in reducing criminal penalties and even focusing on the rights of the offenders over the rights of victims. They even have a bill (H.F. 1100) forcing car manufacturers to install anti-theft devices on older vehicles without seriously addressing criminals themselves.
Overall, the Safe & Sound package includes 17 different bills from 15 different Republican authors across the state. Confronting the criminal threat would include new laws to add a new crime of carjacking to state statute, increase penalties for fleeing police in a motor vehicle, align fentanyl to the same weight thresholds and penalties as heroin, and increase sentences for those convicted with at least two prior crimes of violence.
To address crimes of gun violence, the package specifically increases the penalty for transferring a firearm to an ineligible person and requires a court to ensure someone who has been ordered to give up their firearms has indeed done so.
Republicans continue to support our state’s law enforcement officers with robust recruitment, training, and retention plans. The Safe & Sound Minnesota plan provides $1 million for Pathway to Policing, the award-winning program that brings new recruits into public safety from other careers.
Tough laws and great cops can only do so much, however. The Safe & Sound Minnesota plan also sets up transparency and accountability measures for the state’s courts. New data reporting would help legislators and the public understand how many felony-level offenses go uncharged, as well as a database by the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission for the public to conduct research about judges and their decisions to follow criminal sentences created by the legislature.
To address concerns that violent, repeat offenders are too often released, there is a new mandatory minimum sentence for dangerous criminals who commit crimes with a firearm. Finally, the plan would also make who posts bail payments public data. Recent scrutiny on non-profits bailing out violent criminals shows Minnesotans are at risk when these non-profits aren’t held accountable for their decisions.
Watch for more notes as things develop the second half of the 2023 session. Until next time, have a good weekend and please stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Harry