Dear Neighbors,
Greetings to you from the Capitol! Here some updates from a busy week!
Sunday Sales
On Monday, I joined 85 of my House colleagues to approve Sunday liquor sales after a 159 year ban. Now that the House has passed the measure, the Senate bill, which has slightly different language, awaits a floor vote. Governor Dayton has said he will sign the bill.
Anti-Protest Bills
I was pleased to see so many of you on Wednesday for the Public Safety Committee hearing on HF 390 and HF 1066. These are the bills that would increase criminal penalties for blocking highways, airports and public transit to a gross misdemeanor. Speaker Daudt has called this “a top priority,” and at a press conference this week both Rep. Zerwas and Rep. Lohmer expressed that they authored these bills to put protesters in jail.
The increased penalties in these bills would subject nonviolent protesters to penalties stronger than those for first time offenders of violent crimes like assault, domestic violence and sexual assault. These anti-protest bills seek to prevent peaceful protest by arresting people, instead of addressing the issues Minnesotans are protesting to solve. You can read the statement I issued here.
Regents Election
A joint convention of the House and Senate met Wednesday night to elect Regents to govern the University of Minnesota. This year, four Regents were elected, one each from the 2nd, 3rd and 8th Congressional Districts and one at-large to serve six-year terms. The Regent Candidate Advisory Council interviewed 17 candidates and forwarded twelve candidates to the Joint Legislative Committee. The Joint Senate and House Committee devolved into partisan nominations, and this broken political process resulted in the election of four white men to the board, instead of some of the highly qualified women and people of color who were suggested by the Advisory Council. While I don’t doubt that these candidates have skills to bring to this role, we need a board that represents the perspectives of all University of Minnesota students, not just the white men.
Gun Violence Prevention
Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action made a strong showing at the Capitol this week with a press conference and visits to legislative offices. The same day, Governor Dayton declared June 2nd will be National Gun Violence Awareness Day in Minnesota. Many individuals shared stories of loved ones they had lost to gun violence and outlined bills they’re supporting that would reduce gun violence. I’m proud to coauthor common sense measures to reduce gun violence in the House (HF 1669 and HF 1605).
Protecting Transgender Students
Yesterday, I was proud to join youth from our community who were speaking out against the discrimination of transgender students in our schools. Also, Governor Dayton spoke out strongly at a morning press conference in support of transgender Minnesotans and encouraging schools to comply with the Obama-era guidance on inclusive policies for transgender students. Governor Dayton was right- this is not a state’s rights issue, it’s a human rights issue and we need to stand strongly in support of every single student in our schools and their ability to learn in a safe and supportive environment.
Real ID
Last night the House voted on HF 3, the Real ID bill. It would bring Minnesota into compliance with the federal Real ID requirements, allowing Minnesotans to board airplanes and enter Federal and military facilities. The bill included an unrelated provision that would prevent undocumented immigrants from being able to obtain a driver's license. This is outrageous for several reasons, but most importantly because it ignores the humanity of our neighbors who are undocumented and it also ignores the powerful cultural and economic contributions that immigrants make to our state. They need a safe pathway to drivers training and auto insurance, and we need to have that conversation separately from this bill.
DFL Representatives offered an alternative which was a clean vote for Real ID, without the language relating to undocumented immigrants, which failed by a vote of 74-57.
Meeting with Students
I was happy to welcome an engaged group of students studying to help others during Physical Therapy Day at the Capitol this week.
You can always contact me at rep.ilhan.omar@house.mn or at 651-296-4257. I appreciate hearing from you.
Please follow me on facebook and twitter to stay up to date and receive action alerts.
Sincerely,
Ilhan Omar
State Representative