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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Keith Franke (R)

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News from Rep. Keith Franke 3-9-2018

Friday, March 9, 2018

Dear Neighbors,

Increasing School Safety

On Monday, I introduced bipartisan legislation to increase school safety throughout the state. The bill (HF3370) requires school districts to establish a threat assessment team that is responsible for “the assessment of and intervention with individuals whose behavior may pose a threat to the safety of school staff or students.”

I’ve heard from local residents, parents, teachers, and administrators about a need to improve school safety and this bill can be one piece of a puzzle in helping to keep Minnesota kids safe at school.

Local Senator Karla Bigham is carrying the legislation in the Senate, and we’re hopeful to have hearings on this bill soon.

Funding the HERO Center

On Thursday I joined Rep. Tony Jurgens, Woodbury Public Safety Director Lee Vague, and Cottage Grove Mayor Myron Bailey to present our bill HF2965 to fund the Health and Emergency Response Occupations (HERO) Center in Cottage Grove.

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This bill will reduce the burden on local taxpayers in training costs while giving our officers the tools and state-of-the-art facilities they need to be more successful in keeping our community safe. I anticipate we’ll have another bonding bill this year, and hope this bipartisan proposal is included in any final bill.

I was also happy to see new Cottage Grove Public Safety Director Pete Koerner at the hearing to support our legislation. Congratulations to Pete on being sworn-in this week; I look forward to working together to keep area residents safe.

Fighting Addiction

As you know, one of my focuses this session is tackling substance addiction in Minnesota. I’ve introduced two bills this session to fight the opioid epidemic, and am working closely with leaders on this topic to try and prevent further abuse and overdose. We all probably know someone who’s struggled with opioid addiction – or addiction of any kind, for that matter – and I hope we can pass some of these bills to prevent this disease from growing.

Please Contact Me

As you know, I’m always free to talk about issues that are important to you. You can call or email, and I’ll be sure we find a time to connect. If you’re coming to St. Paul, feel free to schedule a time to meet in my office.

Have a great weekend,

Keith