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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Sondra Erickson (R)

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News from Representative Erickson 02-08-2013

Friday, February 8, 2013

Dear Friends,

Some updates from this week in Saint Paul:
 

State of the State

On Wednesday, February 6th, Governor Dayton came before a joint legislative session to deliver his annual State of the State address. Prior to the Governor's speech, House Republicans held a roundtable discussion with local job creators from our districts. There we discussed the harmful impact Governor Dayton's proposal would have on their businesses and others like them and talked about ways to promote job creation and continue to improve Minnesota's economy.

The message was clear: Minnesota must remain competitive in the Midwest. Governor Dayton's proposal sends the wrong message to businesses and encourages them to pack up and move across the border to states like North Dakota and Wisconsin that are cutting taxes rather than raising them. We can't afford to put thousands of good-paying Minnesota jobs at risk raising taxes to pay for the Governor's spending spree.

I was grateful to have been joined by Joe Glenn and Richard Prescott from Glenn Metalcraft in Princeton for the roundtable. Founded in 1947, Glenn Metalcraft produces state of the art metal parts used across the United States and around the world. It is home to the most powerful spin forming machine of its type ever built for a company in the United States. They are a true Minnesota success story.
 

HF34

This week in the Education Policy committee I had the opportunity to testify in favor of my bill that would require college students entering teacher preparation programs to pass a basic skills examination test in reading, writing and mathematics prior to beginning their program.

This was the first step in getting this bill to the House floor and I'm hopeful that the bill will continue to make its way through the process in the weeks to come.
 

Gun Bills

This week rather than talking about jobs or working on the Governor's budget, the DFL spent three entire days on hearings for restrictive gun legislation that would punish law-abiding gun owners and do nothing to enhance public safety and keep certain firearms out of the hands of criminals.

Hundreds of pro-Second Amendment advocates packed the halls of the State Office Building and the committee hearing rooms to oppose these misguided pieces of legislation. I have received hundreds of emails in the past several weeks urging me to oppose these bills and I assure you that I will continue to stand for your Second Amendment rights and plan to vote against any attempts to restrict the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Sondra Erickson
State Representative, District 15A