Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Current State Rep. Jason Rarick this week won the special election for the open MN Senate seat in the Carlton / Pine county area. The election victory increased the Republican majority in the MN Senate to 35 - 32 by flipping the decades long Democrat seat to Republican. The increased Republican majority will help stop the radical Democrat agenda seeking to expand abortion, confiscate guns, raise taxes, redistribute wealth, and usher in Socialism.
Rep. Lucero with Senator-elect Jason Rarick at the annual March for Life rally.
STATE OF THE UNION
President Trump delivered his inspirational State of the Union speech this week which 76% of viewers had a positive reaction according to a CNN poll. President Trump reiterated his continued commitment to the values which are working to Make America Great Again! I’ve included several quotes from his speech:
- Life in the Womb
- "These are living, feeling, beautiful, babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world…To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb."
- No Socialism
- "America was founded on liberty and independence -- not government coercion, domination and control. We are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country."
- Job and Wealth Creation
- "We passed a massive tax cut for working families and doubled the child tax credit."
- "In just over two years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom, a boom that has rarely been seen before. There has been nothing like it…an economic miracle is taking place in the United States."
- "Nearly 5 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps."
- "Wages are rising at the fastest pace in decades, and growing for blue collar workers, who I promised to fight for, they're growing faster than anyone else thought possible."
- "Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in half a century. African-American, Hispanic-American, and Asian-American unemployment have all reached their lowest levels ever recorded. Unemployment for Americans with disabilities has also reached an all-time low."
- "All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before."
- Border Wall for National Security
- "I want people to come into our country in the largest numbers ever, but they have to come in legally."
- "Human traffickers and sex traffickers take advantage of the wide open areas between our ports of entry to smuggle thousands of young girls and women into the United States and to sell them into prostitution and modern-day slavery."
- "Year after year, countless Americans are murdered by criminal illegal aliens."
- "These (border) agents will tell you where walls go up, illegal crossings go way, way down ... San Diego used to have the most illegal border crossings in our country. In response, a strong security wall was put in place. This powerful barrier almost completely ended illegal crossings ... Simply put, walls work and walls save lives."
- American Energy
- "We have unleashed a revolution in American energy…the United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world."
Rep. Lucero with colleagues at a Capitol press conference this week working to end the abusive use of super-omnibus bills.
OMNIBUS BILLS
I was among those last year who voted against the nearly 1,000 page super-omnibus bill. Both parties are guilty of using super-omnibus bills to reduce transparency and accountability when passing legislation. The great citizens of Minnesota expect and deserve better.
I'm proud to be among the bipartisan co-authors of the bill which seeks to bring an end to the abusive practice of omnibus bills.
Rep. Lucero visiting with constituent Sue Spalding this week who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Minnesota-North Dakota Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
The cost of purchasing a home continues to rise. A disturbing new report commissioned by Housing First Minnesota released this week revealed up to one-third of the price of new home construction is government fees and regulations making it nearly impossible to build a new home for under $375,000. Housing First Minnesota Executive Director David Siegel stated, "Disappearance of affordable new homes is not due to a change in buyer or builder preferences, but to homebuilders simply being unable to build at a price that many buyers in the region can afford." The Star Tribune article can be found here.
The report cited the example an average new home in Lake Elmo costs $47,000 more than an average new home in Hudson, Wisconsin. As both a licensed real estate agent and a licensed general contractor myself, it's very frustrating needless government fees and regulations continue driving up home prices by tens of thousands of dollars!
My resolve has never been greater to continue fighting against big government mandates which do little more than create barriers to the achievement of the American Dream.
Rep. Lucero with Otsego constituent Ben and his peers from around the state as they visited with legislators this week promoting the importance of career and technical education in Minnesota.
STAYING IN TOUCH
Each and every day I’m continuously humbled at the opportunity to represent and fight for the values and priorities of our great community!
Please contact me to share any issues, concerns, or feedback you have to assist me best represent you. The best way to reach me is by email at Rep.Eric.Lucero@House.MN or by phone at 651-296-1534.
Sincerely,
Eric Lucero
State Representative
District 30B
Albertville, Hanover, Otsego, Saint Michael, and the Wright County portion of Dayton