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*May 3, 2024
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Friends and Neighbors, 

  

We're in the final days of session with just ten legislative days left for the majority to pass their omnibus and supplemental finance bills. We’ve had floor sessions go late into the night every day this week where House Republicans have debated and attempted to amend the majority's omnibus bills. There is too much to focus on in just one newsletter, so I’ll update you on the bills many of you have reached out about! - gun control bills, Transportation, Housing, and Labor Finance Bill (yes, that's one bill), the situation with Senator Mitchell, and the Education Finance bill.  

 

Education Finance Bill 

This week we debated the Education Finance Bill during seven-hour Floor Session. This bill unfortunately represents a missed opportunity to roll back some of the nearly 65 mandates, mostly unfunded, that were imposed on our schools last year.  

While the bill contains provisions that I believe in, like allocating significant funds to the READ Act (*Watch **here* [ [link removed] ]) and attendance/truancy provisions, it also contains concerning provisions.  One of these is the establishment of statewide health standards, which eliminates local control around curriculum development. This pattern of one-size-fits-all solutions does not effectively tackle the diverse needs of school districts across the state.  

I offered several amendments to improve this bill. One of my amendments would have created a legislative study group to review how we can reduce these burdensome mandates on our local school districts.  Unfortunately, the Democrat majority would not accept the amendment.  

I encourage you to watch my closing speech on the bill here [ [link removed] ].  

 

Gun Bills 

This week, the House heard three gun bills on the House Floor: a binary trigger ban, a firearm storage mandate, and mandatory reporting for lost & stolen firearms. Each raises significant concerns:  

HF 4300 sets strict* firearm storage mandates*, going beyond current laws that already require firearms to be stored out of children’s reach. This bill demands firearms be locked away or under direct control at all times, with non-compliance leading to severe penalties. Despite numerous practical objections and proposed amendments to protect those in immediate danger, like women who have been the victim of stalking or harassment, the majority did not take any of our amendments. The bill lacks support from key law enforcement associations and saw bipartisan opposition.  

HF 601 requires the prompt* reporting of lost and stolen firearms* within 48 hours when they "should have known" of a theft, a shift from the standard of "clear or convincing evidence" to a more ambiguous threshold, which could unfairly criminalize law-abiding citizens who were the victims of a crime. The inconsistency in reporting deadlines between citizens and law enforcement further complicates this issue.  

The *binary trigger ban* was included in a broader bill targeting straw purchases. Despite supporting measures against straw purchases, I voted against this bill due to vague language potentially banning common firearms like Glocks.  

  

Omnibus Transportation/Labor/Housing Finance Bill (HF 5242)   

This sprawling bill covers three major areas. The Transportation section allocates over $85 million, and the Labor section intensifies regulations and penalties concerning the classification of independent contractors in construction, complicating the legal landscape. The Housing section reallocates funds to enhance affordability but complicates rental assistance programs.  

  

Senator Mitchell Update 

A lot has changed since I first updated you on the situation with Senator Mitchell last week. For starters,* she is now voting and is the deciding vote on anything that passes the Senate due to the DFL's one-seat majority.* Even more ludicrous is the fact that several of the motions that she has voted against have to do with the ethics committee hearing or other investigation of her actions over the past week. That's right, she's been the deciding vote on a motion attempting to stop her from voting until an ethics investigation is completed.  

Just yesterday KSTP released an incredible article [ [link removed] ] that I encourage you to read. They were able to interview the stepmother who said that she was worried that Senator Mitchell was going to physically injure her, and that she was so afraid that she "gets goosebumps talking about it."  

It's obviously unacceptable to allow Senator Mitchell to vote knowing what we know from the police report, 911 transcript, and an interview with the victim. She is the deciding vote on extremely controversial pieces of legislation during the end of session because the Senate DFL would rather protect her, and their trifecta, than protect the integrity of the institution.  

This situation really does call into question just what the DFL was doing yesterday by passing two gun control bills. The debate on those two bills alone took over 12 hours just to head to a Senate where their future is uncertain - *will the Senate DFL allow a Senator who is facing felony burglary charges to be the deciding vote on gun control bills?*  

   

As these final days unfold, the decisions made will have lasting impacts. Thank you for staying informed and involved. 






Please Contact Me

Please continue to reach out if I can be of any assistance to you. You can reach me by phone at 651-296-5185 or by email at [email protected]. 

Have a great weekend! 

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Ben











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