Dear Neighbor,
Early this week we in the Republican controlled Legislature successfully sent Gov. Dayton a balanced budget to fund state government for the next two fiscal years beginning July 1, 2017 and ending June 30, 2019. Unfortunately, Gov. Dayton continues to demand more and more spending while rejecting common sense reforms that would benefit hard working Minnesotans and therefore vetoed the funding bills that were sent to him.
Republicans are continuing to lead as we spent this week negotiating and drafting replacement funding bills to send to Gov. Dayton. My colleagues and I will be at the Capitol all weekend working to pass replacement bills, and once complete, Republicans will have finished our work twice by sending Gov. Dayton two rounds of funding bills prior to the constitutionally required deadline of this coming Monday.
Rep. Lucero and Sen. Kiffmeyer meeting students from Saint Michael Catholic School on a field trip visiting
and touring the newly renovated Capitol.
BUDGET BILLS SENT TO GOVERNOR
Monday this week we passed the remaining of the first round of funding bills and sent them to Gov. Dayton for his signature. By Monday evening Gov. Dayton vetoed the three bills. Below are several highlights of the bills Gov. Dayton vetoed.
Public Safety
- Would have increased penalties against those who engage in illegal protests that block freeways, transit, or airports.
- Would have allocated new money to local law enforcement agencies to help them pay for officers’ training costs.
- Would have prohibited the Governor’s Office from unilaterally issuing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.
Higher Education
- Students at two-year colleges would have enjoyed a tuition freeze in the 2017-18 school year and a one percent tuition decrease in the 2018-18 school year.
- Students at four-year universities would have enjoyed a tuition freeze in the 2018-19 school year.
- Would have required the U of M to obtain approval from an institutional review board or stem cell oversight committee before conducting research on fetal tissue.
Job Growth and Energy Affordability
- Would have provided job training to veterans entering back into the civilian workforce after service.
- Would have streamlined the permitting process for pipelines and ensure government agencies cannot abuse the regulatory process to slow down or block projects that otherwise meet standards.
- Would have lowered energy costs for consumers by reducing and streamlining the regulation process for energy providers.
Rep. Lucero attending the Eagle Scout Court of Honor last weekend at Albertville City Hall presenting a House Resolution to each Peter and Joey in recognition of their each achieving the esteemed rank of Eagle Scout.
GROWTH IN MN STATE GOVERNMENT
The two-year state budgets passed into law for the last several budget cycles are as follows:
- FY 12-13 $35.3 billion
- FY 14-15 $39.6 billion
- FY 16-17 $44.7 billion
- FY18-19 $46.3 billion (vetoed by Gov. Dayton)
The total increase in the last eight years (including the FY18-19 budget Gov. Dayton vetoed) equals an approximate $11 billion increase (more than 31%).
But wait, there’s more…
The above was budget spending only. The unspent revenue increases must also be factored in. During the same eight-year period, $300 million was allocated to the state cash account, approximately $1.5 billion was allocated to the state budget reserve account, and there is currently a projected budget surplus of $1.65 billion. The sum of these three additional revenues is approximately $3.45 billion.
Combining the approximate $11 billion spending increase with the approximate $3.45 billion additional revenues equals a total $14.45 billion (40.93%) revenues and spending increase in a mere eight years!!
How does your household income growth rate compare to the state government growth rate during the eight years Mark Dayton has been Governor?
Rep. Lucero bumped into several of his former cyber-security students this week while attending the Secure360 Conference in Minneapolis.
SECURE 360 CONFERENCE
I've been working in the cyber-security field for the last approximate fifteen years and for the seven years immediately preceding being elected to the MN House, in addition to my day job, I also taught college level Computer Forensics, Computer Security, Voice and Data Communications, Server, and Networking related courses in the evenings. Because the law is not keeping up with technology, I’ve been utilizing my background to champion several bills related to cyber-security to better protect Minnesotans’ private data.
The Secure360 Conference occurs annually in the Twin Cities drawing information security professionals and vendors from around the country for presentations and discussions on timely, important subject areas including governance, risk and compliance, information security, physical security, business continuity management, and professional development. As one who works within the cyber-security field, the Secure360 Conference is one of several cyber-security conferences I attend on a reoccurring basis and this year’s Secure360 Conference was held this week in Minneapolis.
Below is a list of several of the break-out sessions relevant to the threats and vulnerabilities ALL of us face in our day-to-day lives that were offered at this year's conference:
- Hacking Hospitals
- Smartphones and Data Breaches: What You Need to Know
- SQL Server Hacking on Scale Using PowerShell
- Filling the Security Gaps in Smart Cities
- Keys to the Kingdom: Automotive Security
- I'll Let Myself In: Tactics of Physical Penetration
- Device Connection: Security design in the Age of IoT
- Watching Commodity Malware Get Sold for a Targeted Breach
- The Most Important Things You Are NOT Doing
- Shields Up for WordPress Websites and Blogs
- Shots Fired: Leading in an Active Shooter Incident
- IoT Attack Footprint
- Hacking Humans: The Only Way to Fly!
- Federal Law Enforcement Perspective on Cyber Threats and Importance of Partnerships
STAYING IN TOUCH
As always please contact me to share any issues, concerns, or feedback you may have that will assist me best represent you. The best way to reach me is by email at Rep.Eric.Lucero@House.MN or by phone at 651-296-1534.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Eric Lucero
State Representative
District 30B
Albertville, Hanover, Otsego, Saint Michael, and the Wright County portion of Dayton