Friends,
Thank you to everyone who made Maple Grove Days another great success. It's always a fun event for the whole family and I can't wait for it to come around next summer! This week a recent interview I did with Al Travis of Between the Lines was posted online, the legislature received a favorable ruling in court, and the list of new laws will go into effect on August 1 has been put together. Read about that and more below. Have a great weekend!
Rep. Smith with constituents during Maple Grove Days
Between the Lines
It was a pleasure to join Al Travis on his political talk show, Between The Lines. We had a great conversation about the very productive 2017 Session, the lawsuit over Governor Dayton vetoing legislative funding, and much more. You can watch the entire show by clicking here.
Rep. Smith with Al Travis (center) and Sen. John Hoffman (D-Champlin)
Judge Rules For Legislature
As I predicted in my June letter to our local paper, the Ramsey County judge ruled decisively in the favor of the legislature. In his ruling, the judge said that Governor Dayton's line-item veto of funding for the legislature was a violation of the seperation of powers enshrined in our constitution. Below is excerpt from my letter where I outlined just that point:
Our system of government is built on the checks and balances that the three branches of government give us. Those branches — the executive, the legislature, and the courts — are enshrined in our constitution. They are all separate. They are all equal. By his actions, Governor Dayton has threatened that balance.
We expect more from our leaders in Minnesota than these petty and cynical games. When both sides came to an agreement, it was fair of legislative leaders to expect Governor Dayton to honor the negotiations and sign the bills without taking this wrong and unconstitutional step of defunding a co-equal branch of government.
I fully expect the courts to rule quickly and decisively in favor of the legislature in this dispute. However, it should not have come to this. Minnesotans rightfully expect more from our leaders and deserve it.
Unfortunately, Governor Dayton has decided to appeal this ruling to the Minnesota Supreme Court. Once again, I expect a ruling in our favor but it shouldn't have come to this. Governor Dayton should accept the court's ruling and put the productive 2017 session behind us.
New Laws Effective August 1st
On August 1st, a number of new laws go into effect. Among these laws are three that I chief authored to remove burdensome regulations on family farms, modernize how nonprofits can operate, and removed hindrances that were stopping the construction of new townhomes and condos. You can see the full list of new laws here.
Congratulations!
- To Nate Adams of Maple Grove who won the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour Minnesota Kickoff. Nate was a sophomore on the Maple Grove High School golf team. Congrats!
- To Maple Grove Freshman Joey Thompson who helped Minnesota win a National Wrestling Championship. Joey represented Minnesota in two events. Congrats!
Reminder: Capitol Grand Opening Celebration
To commemorate this special occasion and to invite Minnesotans back to the People’s House, there will be a Grand Opening Celebration held from Friday August 11th through Sunday the 13th. The celebration will have something for everyone – fireworks, concerts, demonstrations by the artisans that worked on the restoration, behind the scenes tours, and much more. Most of the events are free, or offered at a very low cost. Please mark your calendars and plan to celebrate the People’s House this summer!
Please continue to share your thoughts with me about our state government; bill ideas and concerns are welcomed! I am honored to serve you at the Capitol. My email address is Rep.Dennis.Smith@house.mn, phone number 651-296-5502, and by mail: 375 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
Have a great weekend!
Dennis