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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Eric Lucero (R)

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Budget Surplus = Over Taxation

Friday, March 2, 2018

Dear Friends and Neighbors,


The Management and Budget Office this week released their February economic forecast showing a $329 million budget surplus.  The budget surplus represents over taxation by government emphasizing the importance of bringing much-needed tax relief to hardworking Minnesota families and businesses.

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Rep. Lucero attending the Second Annual School Bus Driver Appreciation Day Wednesday this week pictured with
Bethany Schubert, Vice President of Trobec's Bus Service located in St. Cloud.

HONORING SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS

Feb. 28 was proclaimed School Bus Driver Appreciation Day in Minnesota and school districts across the state celebrated by passing out student-made thank you cards and providing food and beverages to bus drivers.  Thank you to all the professional school bus drivers who are the first and last points of contact many children have with the education system each day! Minnesota's great school bus drivers often go unrecognized despite the high trust we put in them to transport our most precious assets, our children.

As a former school bus driver myself, it was a humbling honor to be invited to speak at the Second Annual School Bus Driver Appreciation Day event at Mainline Transportation in Golden Valley.  In 2017 I chief authored a school bus safety bill that successfully passed and was signed into law creating a misdemeanor penalty for anyone not authorized to board a school bus and refuses to leave if directed to do so, closing a previous loophole in state statute regarding trespassing. It's important school bus drivers are empowered with the authority to direct a person not authorized to be on a school bus to exit.

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Rep. Lucero speaking to a group at the Metropolitan State University Legislative Breakfast this week.  Rep. Lucero is a Metro State alumnus having graduated both in 2001 with a BS in Law Enforcement and in 2007 with a BAS in Computer Forensics.


MNLARS

MNLARS is the new vehicle title database that continues to create an ongoing hardship for hardworking MN individuals and businesses due to Gov. Dayton’s Administration failed rollout.  Background to-date on MNLARS includes:

  • Minnesota taxpayers have paid nearly $100 million over 10 years for this mess of a system
  • Current money spent is already tens of millions of dollars over budget
  • The Dayton Administration is now asking for another $43 million

We received an update on MNLARS in the Transportation Finance Committee this week.  After listening to the update the conclusion was rather than simply give Gov. Dayton a blank check, Republicans are exploring options to fix the system while at the same time increase accountability and protect taxpayers from footing even more of the bill for Gov. Dayton’s failures. Minnesotans deserve a system that works and it’s for this reason Republicans unveiled a bill this week that puts the onus on Gov. Dayton to find the $10 million in his agency’s existing budgets.

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Rep. Lucero joined by colleague State Reps. Cal Bahr and Matt Dean this week to receive the
Outstanding Legislator Award from the Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota.

SECOND AMENDMENT

The topic of gun violence is so incredibly important I’m repeating part of my thoughts from last week’s email update.  Our hearts pour out to the friends and family of gun violence victims not only of the recent shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, First Baptist Church in Texas, or the music festival in Las Vegas all which garnered high-profile media coverage, but also to the friends and family of gun violence victims of individual incidents occurring every day which garner little to zero media coverage.  All lives lost to violence is a tragedy.

This week in the House Public Safety Committee we heard two bills, HF 1605 and HF 1669.  There was compelling testimony on both sides.  However, as the bill hearing progressed it became more and more obvious there are serious problems with both bills as highlighted both by multiple testifiers and members of the committee prompting one member of the committee to make a motion to table both bills.  I voted in favor of tabling both bills.

Keeping our children and everybody safe is the goal of all of us and it’s for this reason I look forward to continuing to work on this very important issue.  One thing is certain more mandates on law-abiding citizens and violations of the Second Amendment are non-starters.

 

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Rep. Lucero meeting Saint Michael constituent Lucy this week to learn more about the efforts Lucy is working on through the March of Dimes.

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.

Sincerely,
Eric Lucero

State Representative
District 30B
Albertville, Hanover, Otsego, Saint Michael, and the Wright County portion of Dayton