Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We have five session days left, and if history is any guide, there will be some late nights next week while the Democrats try to cram in the rest of their agenda. . 

I am happy to share an update on the religious liberties exemption in the Minnesota Human Rights Act, a chapter of law that governs employment and hiring.  Last session, Democrats added the term “gender identity” to the Minnesota Human Rights Act but failed to make a corresponding change to the exemption for Churches, religious associations, corporations, and societies that would allow them to follow their sincerely held beliefs. Whether this was an error or deliberate omission is unclear. However, legislative leaders and the faith communities agreed that this needed to be fixed.
The Senate and House passed HF 4109, which aligns state law with the freedoms and liberties religious organizations have under the U.S. and state constitutions. This much-needed language restores the protections that have existed for decades and ensures that these organizations can follow their faith doctrines without fear of a lawsuit under state law. This important change passed both bodies unanimously and now heads to Governor Walz for his signature.

Nevertheless, this bill is separate from another bill that would put an Equal Rights Amendment on the ballot as an amendment to the constitution that is much more expanded than the ERA you may have heard about from the 1970s, which was about equal rights and non-discrimination for women. This one includes gender, gender identity, "gender expression," and sexual orientation. There is no exception for religious organizations in this language, unlike the bill above, which is only a statute and could be overruled by this constitutional amendment if it should pass.

You may recall last year that the Democrats REMOVED a provision in the Human Rights Act that EXCLUDED Pedophiles from claiming discrimination.  With that change and the addition of "gender expression" to the Human Rights Act, it's very likely that someone who claims to be a "minor-attracted person" could demand to be employed or have their firing reversed and their employer fined under this act.  I find that possibility very troubling and will oppose this bill when and if it comes before us.

 The New ERA also introduces the topic of abortion by adding "making and effectuating decisions about all matters relating to one's own pregnancy​ or decision whether to become or remain pregnant" as a new right.  Taken together with language about abortion rights passed last year, it would enshrine abortion until birth in our state’s constitution. I strongly oppose this, just like I strongly opposed changing the abortion statutes last year.  This bill would be heard in the House on Monday and as it will probably pass, it could very well be voted on in the Senate by the end of the week.

When the Democrats took both houses of the legislature,  gun owners across Minnesota, like me, braced themselves for a full-on assault on their rights. We have seen major gun bills move in the House, but they do not have the pro-gun control votes in the Senate to bring the bills they want and expect them to get passed. Here is where the most active bills stand in the Senate at the moment:

1.  So-called "safe storage" that, before it was watered down, had gun owners keeping their guns in a locked gun safe separate from the ammunition at all times when the gun is out of their sight. This may be a good practice for many people, especially those with young children, but not everyone, such as farmers who may be facing animal predators or someone who lives in a crime-ridden neighborhood and wants to keep a firearm and magazine close at hand for self-defense. This should be their unquestioned right.  Today, we learned that the Senate leadership is not planning to bring this bill to the floor, indicating they do not have the votes to pass it.

2. Preemption.  One of the most significant achievements during the debate and passage of the permit-to-carry law years ago was preemption: preventing local governments from passing their own laws, which would lead to a confusing patchwork of gun bans across the state.  While I believe local control is generally a good thing, your constitutional rights should not be hostage to local governments that think they know better and will make you sue them to be able to exercise them. A preemption bill got a hearing in the House; it did not get a hearing in the Senate.  We are cautiously optimistic that this bill will not be coming up due to a lack of votes. However, it is always possible that this bill, or any gun bill, could be amended into another bill since the Senate Leadership has done that on occasion.  

3. Binary Triggers. Thursday, a bill banning guns that can shoot twice on a single trigger pull, which was combined with language stiffening sentences on straw purchases and illegal transfers, passed off the floor of the Senate.  I voted against this bill for a couple of reasons. As I argued in the debate, one is that it will do nothing for public safety.  We have a fundamental problem with prosecutors who aren't charging or are undercharging criminals and judges who allowing criminals to get back on the streets to commit violent crimes.  Even the straw purchase portion of the bill won't help stop this because prosecutors aren't charging people enough for this crime. Another reason is that they are making firearms that people presently own ILLEGAL and when asked about this the bill author and other Democrats casually suggested that owners could "turn them in" or sell them to people in other states where they are legal.  If a Democrat ever tries to tell you that they aren't coming for your guns point them to this debate.

The language of the bill that passed the House is different from the Senate language, so we don't know what the next move will be, whether the bill will be reconciled in a conference committee, or whether the House will concur.  

As I wrote about last week,  Senator Mitchell of Woodbury was arrested in Detroit Lakes in the early hours of April 22nd, 2024, according to court documents, on charges of first-degree burglary, breaking into her Stepmother’s house through a basement window. 

Eleven Senate Republicans, including myself, filed an ethics complaint against Senator Mitchell on April 24th, emphasizing the need to uphold the legislature's integrity. Democrats pushed a preliminary ethics hearing into the following week.

Democrats eventually removed Senator Mitchell from her committee positions, which was mostly symbolic because nearly all committees had already wrapped up their work for the session. It was also announced that she had been removed “From the DFL Caucus,” but this proved untrue, as she did not lose any privileges of being in that caucus except for attending meetings. 

Republicans have tried various motions on the Senate floor to recognize the gravity of the accusations she faces. They have pointed out that Senate ethics are supposed to be a higher standard than simply letting the criminal justice system run its course.

Senator Mitchell's ethics committee hearing was finally held on May 7th, 2024. You can watch some of that here. Senator Mitchell refused to answer any questions and instead had her lawyer respond. The criminal defense lawyer would not admit to her being arrested or to obvious facts already in the public record. It was a circus. 

The bottom line is that Democrats have decided that having the 34^th vote is more important than the integrity of the Senate or passing bipartisan legislation.

 Her court hearing in Becker County is June 10. Her next ethics hearing is scheduled for June 12, assuming she doesn’t simply resign after the session ends when her vote is no longer needed.

Today is the last day that flag with the state seal will fly over the capitol.  Although it is likely to still fly over many homes and private businesses, it will no longer be the official flag of the state of Minnesota.  As you probably remember, I was a non voting member of the commission that chose the design and I strongly opposed the process by which it was chosen, which was overrepresented by Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan's appointees.  I also opposed the agenda they pushed which was to declare everything about Minnesota's past racist and to erase our history, good and bad, off of our state symbols and replace them with abstractions that only THEY got to define.  It was a disappointing experience, not a unifying one. 

Minnesota state statute requires the opener to occur precisely two weeks before the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend; this year, May 10-11.

Senate District 20’s Lake City will host the Governor’s Fishing Opener this year. This event dates back to 1948 and is designed to promote Minnesota tourism, especially the resort industry and recreational opportunities.  Explore Minnesota Tourism has a great website with lots of information about fishing in Minnesota here.

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