Dear Neighbors,
I’d like to thank everyone who attended our Town Hall Listening Session this past weekend. The turnout was nothing short of amazing and I’m pleased we have such engaged community members. It was great to hear so many ideas for how we can improve opportunities for Minnesotans.
Back here at the Capitol, the pace continues to get quicker as the first bill deadline is just two weeks away. Constituents continue to visit down at the Capitol; this week groups I met with include physician assistants and PA students as well as Minnesotans for a Smoke Free Generation.
REAL ID
Last night the House passed a bill to bring Minnesota into compliance with federal Real ID requirements. As you may know, Minnesota has been given a deadline of January 22, 2018 to update security standards on drivers’ licenses and identification cards in order to board commercial aircraft, visit military bases, or enter certain federal buildings. It’s critical that we take action on this swiftly to give Minnesotans peace of mind that when they show up to get on an airplane, their drivers’ license will be sufficient to get through security and on to their destination.
Unfortunately, the GOP majority insisted on including an unnecessary, unrelated, harmful provisions dealing with prohibiting immigrants from obtaining a drivers’ licenses. Ensuring that drivers are trained, licensed, and insured is in the best interest of everyone’s public safety. Even though there may be disagreements about this policy, these are two separate issues, and should be addressed in two separate bills. Divisive politics should be left out of something that should be a straightforward bill Minnesotans are counting on, and I hope we can pass a clean Real ID bill soon.
Bills expanding democracy
As I mentioned in my last update, HF 246, my bill to take the politics out of congressional and legislative redistricting by giving that responsibility to a nonpartisan commission, was heard in committee last week. This week, the Senate version of the bill was heard with broad support from groups such as the League of Women Voters, Citizens for Clean Elections, and Common Cause Minnesota. Also, the Senate companion to another bill of mine, HF 245, to allow Minnesotans to automatically register to vote when applying for a drivers’ license, was also given a favorable response.
On March 4th I’ll be participating on a panel at Hamline University to discuss redistricting. I’ll be joined by Hamline Professor David Schultz and Senate State Government and Elections Chair Mary Kiffmeyer. While this process doesn’t start for another four years, it’s important to start talking about it to ensure we have a fair process, and I hope we will have a productive conversation.
House Rules
Last week we approved the rules governing the Minnesota House for the next two years. My DFL colleagues and I brought forward proposals to improve accountability, but unfortunately they were voted down largely on party lines. One of them would have required legislators to, if taking a trip or attending a conference on an organization’s dime, disclose who paid for it. Another would have prohibited representatives from receiving certain gifts if they aren’t also available to the public, such as access to a suite at a sporting event. Corporate influencers shouldn’t be able to gain access to public officials in what is often a surreptitious manner.
Perhaps the proposal gaining the most attention was an attempt to remove the “mute” button at the Speaker’s desk which can be used to silence the minority party. Having such a button at the Speaker’s disposal not only stifles free debate, but removes a layer of access the public has to their Legislature. It’s regrettable we couldn’t come together to pass these simple accountability measures.
As things keep moving faster at the Capitol, it’s important that you remain in touch with your viewpoints about the issues important to you. Please feel free to call or write anytime.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Schultz
State Representative