Friends,
Get out and enjoy the gorgeous weather this weekend! We certainly put up with winter long enough and deserve a nice stretch of weather.
My Bills Passing this Week
This week, two bills I authored passed the House unanimously. One bill, HF 817, makes it illegal to interfere or attempt to interfere with automatic terminals such as gas pump dispensers. This gives law enforcement and property owners another tool to counter ID theft operations. Another will remove an existing exemption which prevents counties in the seven-county metropolitan area from constructing or operating sanitary sewer and stormwater systems. This was a change specifically requested by Scott County to help manage sewer and runoff areas in rural areas of the county.
People seem to think all we do is fight and yell at each other in Sant Paul, but for a vast majority of issues that is not true. We're getting things done to make life better for all Minnesotans!
Rep. Loonan discusses his bill to help prevent ID theft that passed the House Unanimously this week
Education Bill Prioritizing School Safety Passes House
On Thursday, the House passed bipartisan education legislation on a vote of 94-29 that puts students first. House File 4328 prioritizes school and student safety, increases transparency in school finance and performance reporting, and helps prepare kids for a bright and successful future.
In this bill, we provide critical resources and flexibility for our schools to address student safety and mental health. I am proud of our commitment to ensuring every Minnesota student has access to a world-class education.
Highlights in the education portion of the bill include:
- Championing a multifaceted approach to give school districts the resources and flexibility they need to address student safety and security. That includes expanding the use of long-term facilities maintenance revenue for facility security upgrades, strengthening the state’s commitment to school-linked mental health grants, supporting suicide prevention training for teachers, increasing funding for Safe Schools Revenue, and more
- Strengthening and clarifying state law to address teacher misconduct and teacher licensure including prohibiting sexual relationships between educators and students, even if that student is 18; requiring periodic teacher background checks; and prohibiting the issuance or renewal of a teacher/administrative license or bus driver endorsement for certain felonies or gross misdemeanors involving a minor
- Requiring the Minnesota Department of Education to create a School Report Card —a one-stop-spot for summative and easily accessible school and district ratings that will provide families with a place to research, compare and help determine which school will work best for their child
- Enhancing the transparency of school funding and our commitment to tackling our state’s achievement gap by doubling the number of school audits each year. These audits will discern whether or not education dollars allocated to school districts and dedicated to special education, English-learner and low-income students are reaching the students intended
- Ensuring students are exposed to a wide variety of post-secondary options including the trades and branches of the military
- Strengthening laws that protect kids from school lunch shaming
- Creating a Special Education Working Group to engage stakeholders and examine the factors that are driving rising costs
A number of higher education provisions are also included in the package. Highlights include measures to fund student loan debt counseling, bring new sexual harassment reporting requirements and policies to the University of Minnesota, and to back a textbook affordability initiative.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
This Saturday, April 28th is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Nearly 400 Minnesotans died last year as a result of opioid overdoses. If you have unneeded or expired prescription drugs at home, you can drop them off at a safe, legal collection site in your community from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. No questions asked. Find a location here.
If you have any other questions on any of my bills or anything else going on at the legislature, please reach out to my office at (651) 296-8872. You can also reach me via email at rep.bob.loonan@house.mn.
Have a great weekend!
Bob