Legislative Update

Friends and Neighbors,

Last night was the first long floor session of the year with a number of policy bills on the House floor. These covered education, transportation, and veterans affairs. Notably wat HF 4334 by Representative Bjorn Olson which brings state veteran benefits in line with federal benefits so that eligibility is congruent. This is important to make sure we are supporting our veterans and their families.

In the Transportation bills, a recurring theme was attempting to fix the shortfall in driver's license testing availability. We brought forward a number of amendments to fund more testing capability and improvements to the scheduling system so that more Minnesotans can get access to this critical service. Unfortunately, the majority continued to vote down our proposals to fix this mounting issue.

Support of Police and Peace Officers

In support of Minnesota?s police and peace officers and an abundant need for improved public safety, House Republicans have put forward our public safety package with a number of proposals to address this mounting issue.

Public Safety Aid Flexibility: This initiative allows local governments to use public safety aid as per their needs, unlike the previous session?s restricted $300 million aid.
Expert Witness Disclosure: A bill requiring county attorneys to disclose expert witness information in officer-involved death incidents, in response to recent issues with the Hennepin County Attorney?s Office.
Penalty for Illegal Firearm Transfer: I support legislation to increase penalties for ?straw man? firearm purchases. Despite an indictment related to a Burnsville shooting, House Democrats have yet to advance this legislation.

House Democrats have not yet moved the legislation forward. However, I am still hopeful that these public safety proposals will be discussed in the coming weeks.

Legislative Update

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