Dear Neighbor,
Before we get to today’s legislative business, I’d like to mention this will be the last email newsletter I will be able to send for the time being. Today brings us to 60 days removed from the end of the 2020 regular session, at which point legislators are not permitted to send out legislative updates such as this until after the November election.
In the meantime, I will continue working to represent the people of District 2B, whether it is back in a special session or on the ground back here at home. And I am still able to communicate with constituents on an individual basis, so feel free to reach out to me if you need help or want to provide input on any given issue. You also can visit my official Facebook page where I will continue providing content.
As for legislative news, the second special session in as many months started on Monday, largely to once again extend the governor’s emergency powers for yet another 30 days. While a decent argument could be made that urgent action was warranted four months ago in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, those days are long gone.
COVID-19 still needs to be taken seriously and ending the governor’s powers in no way suggests we are taking the situation lightly. People simply want their voice back and want to return to the representative system of governor our state was built on. In fact, the issue over emergency powers does not have anything to do with COVID-19 itself.
The objection I share with many constituents centers on the danger of one person ruling over our state indefinitely. What we are living through now is a total abuse of power on behalf of the governor and a complete failure by House Democrats who refuse to get off their hands and represent their constituents. The House majority’s willingness to take a back seat and let the governor’s authoritarian rule continue is downright shameful.
There have been no parameters explained regarding when the governor’s emergency powers may be lifted and it looks like the House majority is satisfied leaving Minnesota shut down indefinitely. If you are a House Democrat, I don’t know how you can look your constituents in the eye and refuse to represent them, with no end in sight to this abdication of duty. It is an insult to Minnesotans, the oath of office we took as legislators and our Constitution itself.
I sincerely hope that when I am able to resume sending legislative updates four months from now this issue is behind us, that his emergency powers have been retired and legislators are participating in the process of creating a path forward for our state. On the other hand, it would not surprise me at all if the next update I send mentions the fact we are through eight months of unilateral rule and looking at nine.
-Steve