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Dear Neighbor,
I would like to start today’s email by thanking the nearly 50 people who attended the recent town hall meeting in Hancock to discuss the subject of sustainable aviation fuel using corn and soybeans as feed stocks.
It was a good morning with many opportunities for learning and discussion. One aspect we talked about is the need for reducing the carbon intensity score for ethanol to fully qualify for available tax credits. Overall, it was a productive meeting and thanks again to everyone who made it a success.
School safety
I mentioned in my last newsletter the Minnesota House had approved a bill to resolve last year’s change in law which caused school resource officers to be removed from schools throughout the state. After hitting a snag on Monday, the bill came back to the House for a vote on final passage and was approved 119-9. It now should be on a path to enactment.
Vote on flag
In hopes of unifying Minnesotans on a new state flag, House Republicans have authored a bill allowing Minnesotans to vote on the new design that has been approved by the Minnesota State Emblems Redesign Commission.
A recent analysis found that roughly 75% of Minnesotans have some level of dissatisfaction over the process to create a new state flag or the final product itself. There is no official legislative vote scheduled to approve or disapprove the proposed flag, which becomes official May 1. There is still time to address concerns Minnesotans have raised and gain more public support for the flag that will fly over all of us.
Hatching eggs in schools
A House Democrat bill banning hatching chicks in school has been amended and now only pertains to waterfowl. More than 200 schools in Minnesota currently have classes that include hatching eggs, mainly chicks. The proposal to ban this educational practice gained statewide attention and drew objections. I am glad to see the bill has been amended to narrow its scope.
Assisted suicide
Things had been quiet of late regarding a Democrat bill legalizing assisted suicide in Minnesota. That has changed and now the proposal has been the subject of House committee hearings. This bill is rather controversial and, as a Democrat in the Senate put it, “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.”
I do not support this bill and hope it does not become law.
Religious freedom
We are still waiting to see if the Senate will do the right thing by restoring the separation of church and state in Minnesota to defend our religious freedoms.
When a change in law last year created a new, separate definition of gender identity in the Minnesota Human Rights Act, there was no corresponding religious exemption included. A committee amendment was proposed that would restore the religious exemption in the Minnesota Human Rights Act to protect religious organizations and faith-based schools against claims of gender identity discrimination.
House Democrats voted down that amendment and now we continue waiting to see if the Senate will accept it and put this issue to rest.
Have a good weekend and please let me know how I can be of help.
Sincerely,
Paul
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