Dear Friends and Neighbors, Fall has arrived in Minnesota and we can look forward to hunting, to glorious fall color and to family get togethers at this harvest time of year. I have several news items about a new MN Supreme Court ruling in the area of self defense, new information for businesses about the new paid family leave law, A field report for the approaching deer hunting season in our area and recent funding for broadband in the district. | New decision regarding "Duty to Retreat" in firearms case | In the August newsletter, I detailed a case before the Minnesota Supreme Court that resulted in a decision to put “brandishing” a weapon in self-defense into a gray legal area. The court determined that an individual cannot brandish a deadly weapon in self-defense if they have a reasonable ability to retreat. The courts have spoken again on a different self-defense case involving the duty to retreat when defending someone else. The Valdez case involved two step-brothers who were confronted by an acquaintance who was high on methamphetamines and attacked one of the brothers, choking him. The other brother shot the assailant and killed him. Attorney General Keith Ellison, upholding a lower court ruling, tried to argue that the shooter had the ability to retreat and thus was guilty of murder. The Supreme Court decided against the state, arguing that the law clearly states that self-defense extends to the defense of others. You are not required to abandon your child, brother, spouse, or friend if someone threatens them with bodily harm if THEY cannot retreat safely. This seems obvious, but we can’t take common sense for granted anymore when it comes to liberal, anti-gun courts in Minnesota. Fortunately, the ruling they made here was correct. You can read the decision here: (opens a pdf) | Paid Family Leave information for business owners | Per Minnesota’s Paid Leave Law, Minnesota employers need to report wage details for their employees starting October 31, 2024. Once benefits begin on January 1, 2026, this information will determine the premiums paid by employers and employees, and the eligibility and benefit amount for individuals under Paid Leave. Paid Leave covers most Minnesota employers with one or more employees, with exceptions for employees of tribal nations or the federal government and self-employed individuals unless they choose to opt in to get coverage for themselves. Paid Leave will use the same online reporting system as Unemployment Insurance (UI). No additional steps are needed from Minnesota employers if all of their employees are covered by UI, as the same account and quarterly wage detail reports will serve Paid Leave. If an employer has some or all of their employees not covered by UI they may need to create an account to submit wage details by October 31, 2024. More information is available here: https://paidleave.mn.gov/employers/resource/index.jsp | Deer hunting report for southern Minnesota | Firearms deer hunting season opens on November 9 in Minnesota. Hunters usually know the deer permit area number for where they plan to hunt prior to buying a license but they should also ensure they understand chronic wasting disease regulations and sampling options for that area. Hunters can find these details using the DPA lookup tool (mndnr.gov/deerhunt). Deer hunters are required to have deer 1 year or older sampled for CWD in all CWD management and surveillance zones during the opening weekend of the firearms A season Saturday, Nov. 9, through Sunday, Nov. 10, and during late CWD hunts Friday, Dec. 20, through Sunday, Dec. 22. Additional information about CWD requirements and sampling options can be found at the Minnesota DNR’s CWD webpage (mndnr.gov/cwd). The DNR has put out this field report about the upcoming season in our region: "Deer populations continue to increase in southern Minnesota, and deer fared well over last year’s mild winter. Prolonged June flooding during the fawning and fawn rearing season likely had a negligible effect on the population. River floodplains offer some of the best deer habitat and deer hunting in southern areas of the state. Prior to flooding this year, there were several years without a major flood, and vegetation in these floodplains has grown to the point of offering excellent cover for deer, which bodes well for deer hunters. Bluff lands that overlook floodplains offer oak and other sources of nuts and seeds that saw a moderate to excellent crop in 2024. Large areas of grass with embedded wetlands are also prime deer habitat. If water levels continue to lower, hunters will have easier access to this type of habitat." | Broadband funding in District 20 | The Office of Broadband Development’s newest list of broadband grant recipients has been announced. The grants are from two closely related programs: the Border-to-Border Broadband Program and the Low Population Density Program. These programs are possible through federal tax dollars matched by state tax dollars and state dollars matched by local tax dollars and private contributions. Here are the projects impacting our district: The Kasson & Mantorville Telephone Company project will extend Fiber-To-The-Home capabilities to locations in rural Olmsted County. This project will enable the delivery of up to 1 GB upstream and downstream for internet access with the ability to add additional GBs as needed, serving 83 locations, including 13 unserved locations. The MiEnergy Cooperative project is in the rural areas of Winona and Filmore Counties. This project will provide services to 396 addresses, including 342 unserved and 54 underserved, and bridge the digital divide by offering residents access to essential services such as telemedicine, online education, and remote work opportunities. In addition, a business in Cannon Falls, Pachyderm Studios, a well-known studio in the music recording industry, now has high-speed broadband internet. After connecting with the Office of Broadband Development, they were directed to the Broadband Line Extension Connection Program, which awards grants for extending existing broadband infrastructure to unserved locations. Through these efforts, the studio raised a match in local funding to help secure the new fiber line through local provider HBC, which received state funding. | Here are the key links to find election information for Minnesota Citizens: | I only send these out about once a month when the legislature in not in sessions (yes, we still have a part time legislature in Minnesota!) but please do contact me at any time 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. She will be happy to assist you, in or out of session. | 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 | |