Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are now in Minnesota's season of splendor, Fall, with the deer opener (November 4) and chilly weather right around the corner!  Southeastern Minnesota has some wonderful things to celebrate at this time of year in sharp contrast to other parts of the state and in the world happening right now.  We must persevere in working to change the things that imperil our freedom, our livelihoods and our children's' futures. 

Since we are in harvest, I have had some farmers in the district ask about warnings they have gotten from the State Patrol. The warnings have to do with violation of a statute, 169.80.  This statute sets the rules for farm implements on the highway.  Farmers towing equipment are generally exempt or have fewer requirements than other commercial activities. However, they do have restrictions regarding loads that can, even temporarily, cross the centerline. This law has been on the books for decades but may not always be regularly enforced.  Apparently this harvest season it is being enforced.  This may be due to accidents in the area, including at least one fatality.  You can imagine how it would happen-- a farmer towing a load needing to avoid roadside objects like mailboxes crosses a centerline, and someone coming up a hill on the other side doesn’t see him until it's too late. That is a hazardous situation for all involved. 

The law requires that if your vehicle is going to cross the centerline, you must take steps to ensure your vehicle and implement are appropriately flagged and/or put a pilot car out in front.  Drivers also need to be aware that these vehicles will be on the road, even very late at night, and be prepared to slow down to avoid accidents so everybody can get home safely at this busy time of year. 

In the last month, my office has received questions about “Mail Only" voting, which has increased in greater Minnesota over the past few decades. This trend started long before COVID-19 made officials fearful of large gatherings of people. There are many reasons for this.  In Mail Only voting, a city or township decides that it no longer wants to or has the capability to administer an election, and it passes a resolution, transferring those duties to the county.  The county is then assigned the funds that would have gone to that local government from the Secretary of State.  The County is then responsible for mailing a ballot to every registered voter and tabulating the ballots properly returned. 

It is a little bit like absentee voting except that in absentee voting, a voter has chosen to vote by mail and not go to the polls on election day to vote.  In a city or township that has chosen to vote "Mail Only," there is no local voting location.  The voter could drive to the county election offices to vote in person, but that could be a significant distance away for many people. 

The decision of whether to have Mail only elections rests with the township or city. This decision may be established or revoked by passing a resolution. If the city or township plans to make a change, they should consult with the county and make them aware.  I sent a letter to all local officials with mail-only precincts to inform them of the steps involved and that people have been asking questions about this.  You can read a copy of the letter here. 

Since I sent the letter I have also learned that towns don't have to shoulder the cost burden alone. They can share costs of equipment and election workers with nearby cities and towns. This is in addition to the funds they receive from the County. When a city or town goes to Mail Only elections, their funds go to the county. If they go back to in person voting, the funds will be allocated back to them.

Many of you know I was a vigorous opponent of changing our state flag and seal. I opposed changing those symbols for many reasons. I did not think it was the right time to change our symbols when the debate was likely to be one-sided and “politically correct.” I also didn’t think that the process and expense were what our state should be focusing on right now.  However, those of us opposing this change lost, and a state flag and seal design process began last month.  I asked our Senate Republican Leader Mark Johnson if I could be on the commission, hoping to represent those skeptical that the process would produce something all Minnesotans would be proud of. The legislative members serve ex-officio—they don’t have a vote.  

So far, I am not convinced. There seem to be different views on the commission about how much to involve the public in the design and selection phase. There is time pressure, of course. We must wrap up our duties by the end of the year.  I will continue to press for more public input into the process at every step, not at the end.  For one thing, I hope we can have all the submissions displayed at some point so that people can look at all the proposals, not just a handful of pre-selected ones. 

If you or someone you know is interested in this process, visit the State Emblems Redesign Commission website, and submit your design or comment. There are also links to past and upcoming meetings held via Zoom.  In-person meetings are planned for November and December.  What do you think about a new state flag? If you answer the poll below (other than the not interested option), I can update you on the Commission's progress.  You can also reply to this newsletter with comments.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has announced new grants for broadband expansion. The Request for Proposals states that the state will award $50 Million in broadband grants to providers across the state.  $30 million is set aside for the Border-to-Border Broadband Program, through which broadband provider grantees are reimbursed for up to half the eligible cost of deploying broadband infrastructure, with funding for a single project capped at $10 million.

 
 Another $20 million will be for the newly permanent Low Population Density Program, which offers grants to providers building broadband service to areas of Minnesota with particularly low population densities and high broadband deployment costs. Grants can be worth up to $10 million and cover up to 75% of the total cost of a project.  
All projects must offer speeds of at least 100 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload.

 
Requirements and application materials for this competitive grant program are available on DEED's website. 

The funds for this program are a combination of federal and state money, using money appropriated by the legislature and allocated by the Governor. 

In addition to the $50 million open for grants today, DEED will launch another $50 million grant round in 2024, depending on continued funding.

This week, I met with MN Team Humanity, a non-partisan group supporting the vaccine injured. I have been following this issue closely, especially after the mandated COVID-19 vaccinations threatened people’s lives and livelihoods.  The government used its power to coerce people to be injected with substances that had minimal testing. Although the subject remains controversial in the United States and especially in Minnesota, other countries are addressing the issues of death and injury due to either the vaccine or how it was administered.  I believe there will be a tipping point in the US when our government cannot avoid accounting for the mistakes made in forcing these injections on people at the risk of losing their jobs and freedoms.  At this point, even the data that would allow us to examine the consequences of these policies is not being made available, and discussion is being censored.  I will do what I can to open this discussion here in Minnesota.  We can never make things right for these folks, but maybe we can learn something for the next time the government tries to use fear and force against us. If you would like to learn more about MN Team Humanity they have a substack blog at https://teamhumanity.substack.com/

Please contact me to share any issues, concerns, or feedback you have to assist me in best representing you.  The best way to reach me is by email at [email protected] or by phone at 651-296-5612. My legislative assistant is Margaret Martin, and her number is 651-296-4264.  

Sincerely,

Steve Drazkowski

Minnesota Senate, District 20, Wabasha, Goodhue, Winona, Olmsted, and Dakota Counties.

2411 Minnesota Senate Building

95 University Avenue W.
Minnesota Senate Bldg.
St. Paul, MN 55155