Sen. Lucero visiting with a group of young people from STMA High School last Friday during their trip to the MN Capitol !!
ABORTION AND GENDER CONFUSION BILLS
Three bills were debated on the Senate Floor Friday last week that had already passed the House. I voted NO to each of the following bills, but each passed the MN Senate nevertheless and are on their way to Gov. Walz to be signed into law.
House File 16/Senate File 16 (Conversion Therapy)
Nearly every major world religion emphasizes the importance of sexual morality and standards and many people of faith operate as licensed mental health practitioners and mental health professionals incorporating healthy principles of truth into therapy services. Sexual choices and behaviors are no different than the many other moral choices every individual must make in life. Gender confusion is among the choices and behaviors many are wrestling with in our day. Truth and science say one thing while feelings and pop culture promote another.
It cannot be reiterated enough, many licensed mental health practitioners and mental health professionals provide faith-based counseling services to help those struggling with sexual orientation/gender identity behaviors and gender expressions. This bill prohibits mental health practitioners or mental health professionals from providing conversion therapy to vulnerable adults and clients under age 18 and specifies that such therapy is not covered by medical assistance. The bill defines “conversion therapy” as any practice by a mental health practitioner or mental health professional that seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic feelings toward individuals of the same gender.
This dangerous bill is another step in the direction Democrats and radical Progressives are pushing culture to outlaw faith-based principles.
House File 366/Senate File 165 (MN Abortion Refuge State)
As other states across the country pass laws to protect life, Democrats in MN seek to make our state an abortion mecca. Other states have passed laws to make abortion illegal. This bill prohibits disciplinary action against physicians, physician’s assistants (PA), and nurses in MN who've been convicted of a felony, disciplined, or refused a license in another jurisdiction/state for providing abortions.
House File 146/Senate File 63 (Out-of-State Gender-Affirming Kidnapping)
As other states across the country seek to protect children against puberty blockers and other harmful practices including physical mutilations, Democrats in MN are fixated on affirming a person’s gender confusion related mental illness rather than affirm truth and science. This bill prohibits the enforcement of civil and criminal subpoenas, court orders, extraditions, issuing warrants, or making arrests involving gender-affirming health care and laws from other states.
· A non-related person will be permitted to bring a child to MN to have gender mutilation performed without parental consent or even knowledge
· One parent will be able to bring a child to MN to have gender mutilation performed over the objections of the other parent
· A child will be able to come to MN to have gender mutilation performed without the consent or knowledge of parents or any other loving family member
LEGACY FUNDING OMNIBUS BILL
House File 1999 (Omnibus Legacy Appropriation Bill) was debated on the Senate Floor Monday last week.
The Legacy Amendment to Minnesota’s Constitution passed in 2008 increasing the state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent July 1, 2009 until 2034 to fund Clean Water, Land and Legacy which includes arts and cultural heritage. Every two years, the MN Legislature must decide which projects to appropriate the funds to.
During debate on the Senate Floor, Sen. Green shared an example how past Legacy tax dollars were used to fund art promoting divination. Tax dollars should absolutely not be used to promote such evil! In response, I drafted an amendment seeking to prohibit tax dollars being spent on any of the following:
· Occult
· Divination
· Necromancy
· Soothsaying
· Satanism
· Demonology
· Pedophilia
The Democrat majority spoke strongly in opposition defeating my amendment and eventually passed the Legacy Omnibus Bill with no safeguards allowing Democrats to continue spending tax dollars promoting evil practices.
HIGHER EDUCATION OMNIBUS BILL
House File 2073 (Higher Education Omnibus Finance Bill) was debated on the Senate Floor Tuesday last week.
I’ve included a screenshot below comparing Minnesota’s current human rights statute 363A.02 to one provision in the Democrat bill. Below on the left, it can be seen current MN law prohibits discrimination in education based on race, color, national origin among other attributes. Below on the right, it can be seen Democrats seek to discriminate in education based on race, color, and national origin. Racism is flourishing in the Democrat caucus and Democrats are advancing racist bills. I voted NO.
Video of my remarks on the Senate Floor can be viewed at the following link here.
