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Dear neighbors,
Yesterday, I had the honor of attending the 5th Annual South St. Paul Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at Woodbury Lutheran Church. It was good to be together as a community to honor Dr. King’s legacy and to reflect on the values he stood for, including service, fairness, and standing up for one another. It was a powerful morning, and given recent current events in our state, it’s important for communities to come together. The South St. Paul Arts Council facilitated a “Thriving Tree,” with thumbprints from everyone in attendance, signifying hope for a brighter future when everyone contributes.
  Thank you to everyone involved in putting the event together. It’s available for playback from Town Square TV.
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) brings together lawmakers and staff from across the country to share ideas and learn from one another. We discuss what’s working in our states, policy ideas, and hear from experts about how we can better serve our constituents and help our states deliver effective results. I’m proud to serve on the organization’s executive committee, and I just returned from our Winter Meeting in San Diego. We worked on the organization’s budget, and I also serve on the following committees: Budget, Finance, and Rules; and Legislative Institution.
The weekend also brought another notable development: I moved, and the body unanimously passed, a reaffirmation of the organization’s mission in our bylaws.
“NCSL will strive to:
- Advance the effectiveness, independence, and integrity of legislatures in the states, territories, and commonwealths of the United States.
- Foster interstate cooperation and to facilitate information exchange among state legislatures.
- Represent the states and their legislatures in the American federal system of government consistent with support of state sovereignty and state flexibility and protection from unfunded federal mandates and unwarranted federal preemption.
- Improve the operations and management of state legislatures; to improve the effectiveness of legislative leaders, legislators and legislative staff; and to encourage the practice of high standards of conduct by legislative leaders, legislators and legislative staff.
- Foster bipartisanship and promote cooperation within and between state legislatures in the United States and legislatures in other countries.”
With Minnesota currently the subject of an unmatched overreach from the federal government, this affirmation from my legislative colleagues from across the country was extremely gratifying and meaningful. The rest of the world is watching.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to participate in a community meeting at All Saints Lutheran Church in Cottage Grove in support of our immigrant communities. Right now, ICE is carrying out what may be the largest occupation of a state by federal agents in U.S. history. Contrary to the Trump administration’s claims, these actions are not making us safe. They are disrupting daily life and terrorizing communities through alarming and often unconstitutional conduct, including arresting and detaining U.S. citizens and people with lawful status; going door-to-door questioning neighbors based on skin color, last name, and accent; and deploying chemical irritants in busy streets. Tragically, an agent killed Renee Nicole Good in broad daylight. Small businesses are struggling, and some schools are moving to remote learning. It’s past time for the Trump administration to dial down the temperature and leave Minnesota communities in peace.
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The meeting featured a presentation from the ACLU with valuable information about people’s rights related to interactions with federal agents. These resources shouldn’t be considered legal advice, but it’s all valuable to know, especially considering the overreach on display.
Sadly, some families have been put in a position to take steps, including submitting forms such as Delegation of Parental Authority that must be notarized. By virtue of my position in the Legislature, I’m a notary public and would like to remind everyone of this service. If I can be helpful, don’t hesitate to let me know.
Please continue to share your questions, ideas, and feedback throughout the year. You can reach me by email at [email protected] or by phone at 651-296-6828.
For more regular updates, you can subscribe to these regular legislative updates if you haven’t already, here, and you can also “like” and follow my official State Representative Facebook page.
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative
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