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*March 22, 2024
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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

kr wh

As you know, March is Women’s History Month! I’m privileged to serve in the House with some amazing women who are working every day to address the most pressing problems in our state.  Our Caucus is highlighting our female Members throughout the month, so I thought I’d share the snapshot they put out this week.

*This week was very busy, as it was the combined “first and second deadline” week – which is sort of like finals week in college!*  Most policy bills have to be heard in either the House or Senate by Friday (today) in order to “stay alive” for the rest of the legislative session. 

Unfortunately, the reality of being in the Minority is that most of the bills I introduce do not get a hearing.  I am thankful for the few bills I have that have had hearings this year and will keep pushing to get bills heard in committees that don’t have deadlines (Taxes and Bonding).  I will also consider offering some of my bills that did not get a hearing or will not get included in final committee omnibus bills as amendments on the floor*.  The work is far from over!*







Executive Summary

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Public Safety Update

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State Office Building Update

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What data does your car collect on you?

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Emerging Religious Freedom Issue






press confrence
*Public Safety Update*

This week I joined my Republican colleagues at a press conference to highlight all of the public safety bills we have introduced that we are still waiting for the Majority to hear in Committee. 

We highlighted 6 bills that would support law enforcement and strengthen penalties for crime.  I spoke on my bill, HF 4970 [ [link removed] ], which would *allow city attorneys in Hennepin County to prosecute cases involving offenses against peace officers if the Hennepin County Attorney, Mary Moriarty, declines to charge*.  The idea for this bill stems from a specific incident in Maple Grove, which I describe in this video. [ [link removed] ]



phone testimony

This week, *I was pleased that my bill, **HF 3965* [ [link removed] ]*, was added as an amendment to the Transportation Committee’s Omnibus bill.*  This bill idea was brought to me by a student in our district.  She wanted to *update a law* she got passed last year *to allow caretakers to fill out a form *when they get their driver’s licenses* indicating to law enforcement that there is someone in their home who needs to be checked on* in case of an accident.

We had been trying to get a hearing since the beginning of session so the student could testify in person before the committee and share her family’s story.  Unfortunately, the day the Committee chose didn’t work for the student’s school schedule and she planned to testify by Zoom.  During the hearing, however, the Zoom link failed to work!  *Fortunately, the student was still able to testify by calling my cell phone*, which I held up to the microphone.  Where there is a will, there is a way! ?? 

Thankfully, despite the tech problems, *the Committee heard the issue loud and clear and the student’s amendment was unanimously adopted!* 



It was a delight to work with this young leader on this bill and I am very happy for the strong bipartisan support of my colleagues and the support and help of the Dept. of Public Safety throughout this process!






State Office Building Update

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*Construction on the $730 million “Palace for Politicians” continues unabated.*  Every day outside of my office window I see and hear the many cranes, excavators, and dump trucks working to double the size of the building. As you can see from the photo, it is literally a money pit. 

*My colleagues and I continue to try to have a public debate about this project, which was passed by a lame-duck Rules Committee in December 2022.*  Since last November, I have been trying to get a public hearing on my motion to rescind the project and have a public discussion on the excessive cost. 

*During "every" Rules Committee meeting, the Majority denies our request to put my motion on the agenda and discuss ongoing concerns* *about this wasteful project*.

Here's [ [link removed] ] a link to yesterday’s Rules Hearing, where we highlighted the loss of some of the beautiful and historic features of our current State Office Building.  We also tried to get answers on who will be responsible for preserving the history, now that the Capitol Area Architectural & Planning (CAAP) Board has been removed from providing guidance on this enormous project.







*Find out what data your car is collecting on you*

One of my areas of interest is data privacy and I heard a podcast this week that discussed how much data our cars collect on us if we sign the “terms of service” when we purchase a new car. 

Newer cars contain microphones, cameras, and sensors that may be recording conversations, braking/acceleration patterns, vehicle speed, location data, and other information, depending on whether you also sync your phone to the car’s audio system. *This information is then sold by the car company to a variety of buyers, including auto insurance companies, who may use this information when determining your insurance rates.*

At this point, only Massachusetts has introduced a bill that would limit cars from acquiring or selling location data and no similar proposals are currently being considered in MN.  I am considering introducing a similar bill to protect Minnesotans’ data privacy.

*If you are interested in learning more, **Here’s* [ [link removed] ]* the link to get the vehicle privacy report tied to your car. You can also get a copy of the reports insurance companies get on your driving habits that could impact your rates **here* [ [link removed] ].






*Emerging Religious Freedom Issue
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In the past few weeks, the Majority in both the House and Senate taken steps to undermine religious liberty in Minnesota.  They have rejected amendments that would *extend "existing "exemptions* in the Human Rights statute for religious institutions to act in accordance with their faith with respect to the gender identity provisions that were added last year.

Rep. Harry Niska has been leading the effort to *amend the statute to ensure religious liberty protections that already exist in law are also applied to gender identity.  This amendment would uphold religious freedom already guaranteed under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and which has broad support from Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith leaders, all of whom testified in support of the amendment.*

Unfortunately, the amendment failed on party-line votes in both the House and Senate Committees. We will continue to try to amend the statute to ensure religious freedom when the bill comes to the House and Senate floors later in the session.

 

Photos
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Enjoyed spending time with Mayors and City Administrators from the North Metro Mayors Association! Thanks for sharing your concerns about local control!






robbins 2 Had fun meeting with two groups of homeschool students - thanks for coming to the Capitol & for all of the great questions!

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Thanks to Wayzata Public Schools and Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools for stopping by for Minnesota School Boards Association & Minnesota Association of School Administrators - MASA Day to discuss the impact of all of the unfunded mandates on school budgets & the need for supplemental funding. Schools need flexibility to spend funds where they are needed most!






Please Contact Me

Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any matters to which I can be of assistance. My office phone number is 651-296-7806 or by email at [email protected]. My office is located on the second floor of the State Office Building in room 225.

Have a great weekend!

 

Kristin











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239 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806







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