Dear Neighbor,
On Wednesday, Governor Dayton gave his State of the State Address before a joint session of the legislature. I found the governor’s address to be underwhelming and disappointing. It sounded more like a campaign speech than one focused on policy initiatives for the current legislative session.
Our job providers in Minnesota have been overwhelmed by new taxes and regulations imposed on them over the past year and a half. Now, Governor Dayton wants them to fund after-school activities for students. I’m certainly not opposed to that, but what’s insulting about his comment is that many businesses already do this because they care about their community and the future of our state’s workforce. If we enacted policies that would allow jobs to grow in Minnesota, our local businesses would be able to do even more to help families in our state. We should be enacting policies that empower families – not growing government into every aspect of our lives.
On Thursday the House passed legislation that would allow the State of Minnesota to retain blood samples from newborn babies. While I’m a strong advocate for medical research that could save lives, I voted against this legislation because it allows genetic samples collected at birth to be obtained by the State of Minnesota without parental consent. Baby DNA should not become the property of the state without parental consent.
As always, I am interested in your feedback. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail at Rep.Kathy.Lohmer@House.MN or contact my office at 651-296-4244. You can also send mail to my office address: 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
Sincerely,
Kathy