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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Jeff Howe (R)

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Legislative report from Rep. Jeff Howe

Friday, April 8, 2016

Dear Neighbor,

Thank you to all the people who attended Saturday's Kimball Area Business and Community Expo. I appreciated the opportunity to meet with a great number of people and discuss the issues.

The bill I authored to close a loophole in state law designed to protect people from being defrauded by military impersonators has cleared its last committee hurdle in the House and is ready for a vote of the full body.

Current law makes it a misdemeanor to impersonate military officers – but it does not cover the enlisted rank. My legislation makes it a punishable offense to impersonate active or reserve service members regardless of rank – including the National Guard.

This "Stolen Valor" bill (H.F. 2554) evolved from a situation in Willmar last spring that became the subject of news reports. A civilian purchased a uniform and decorations to wear at parades and other public events – including prayer services – as an imposter. 
This really struck a nerve with citizens and needed to be addressed, not only from an emotional standpoint, but there are safety issues to consider if someone is playing themselves off as a service member.

There is a Guardian of Valor organization dedicated to investigating people who falsely claim military service and KSTP-TV indicates that, as of last year, the group had 6,000 requests on file to investigate. Click here for the Guardian of Valor website.

The Hometown Heroes bill (H.F. 2810) I mentioned in last week's update has now met committee deadlines and remains viable for passage this session. This bill I authored pertains to benefits received by the survivors of public safety officers who are killed in the line of duty.

Another bill (H.F. 3123) that would save school districts money by eliminating special elections and the associated costs also is advancing as part of an omnibus bill. It allows for school districts to fill board vacancies by appointments when less than two years remains on the term.

It has been a busy stretch for office visits at the Capitol and I want to thank the group of township officials from Stearns County that recently came to St. Paul. A couple of issues we discussed relate to transportation and a need for more reasonable water-permitting processes. As for the latter, I also recently met with the DNR and we are working on resolution for a well issue in Cold Spring.

Also, I would be remiss if I closed this letter without also saying how nice it was to have my daughter, Melanie, come to the Capitol this week. It was a special day for both of us and I enjoyed showing her around and introducing her to House members and staff.

Good luck,


 Rep. Jeff Howe
 527 State Office Building
 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
 Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
 651-296-4373
 rep.jeff.howe@house.mn