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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Eric Lucero (R)

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Town hall announced

Friday, January 22, 2021

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This week I continued making my way around our community, stopping by the STMA School Board, the Albertville City Council, and the Hanover City Council, sharing my legislative preview and several priorities based on the top feedback I continue to receive.

Every year, Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer and I host multiple town halls around our community which we absolutely love because of the opportunity to meet with great people, have great conversations, and answer questions! Due to COVID this year, however, Sen. Kiffmeyer and I will be hosting our annual town hall live online 5:30-6:30 p.m.Tuesday, Feb. 2. Online details will be sent out next week. In the meantime, please reply to this email to submit questions you have for Sen. Kiffmeyer and me.

Rep. Lucero

Rep. Lucero proudly signing hundreds of congratulations letters for elementary students who achieved the honor roll. As former educator himself, Rep. Lucero is always excited to highlight the hard work students devote to achieving academic excellence!

BILL INTRODUCTIONS

I have several-dozen bills I’m working on related to K-12 school funding, election integrity, roads and bridges transportation, pro-life, pro-second amendment, data privacy, and much, much more. The department responsible for drafting bills is called the Revisor’s Office. Because of the COVID situation, the Revisor’s Office staff are working remotely, prompting a recent notification there is an approximate 1,000-bill-request backlog. What this means is I continue to wait for my bill requests to arrive, but I am officially introducing them as soon as I receive them. Below is a list of the bills I’ve thus far received back from the Revisor’s Office and I introduced this week. As I continue to receive bills I will continue to introduce them.

  • H. F. 204, A bill for an act relating to family law; modifying custody and parenting time presumptions in the ongoing effort to make shared parenting more fair.
  • H. F. 212, A bill for an act relating to public safety; Pro Second Amendment; Constitutional Carry; providing for the right to carry without a permit.
  • H. F. 231, A bill for an act relating to capital investment; appropriating money to construct a third lane on I-94 in each direction between Albertville and Monticello.
  • H. F. 232, A bill for an act relating to education; removing school exemptions that permit minors to be exposed to sexually obscene content and creates a parental civil cause of action due to the emotional distress to children such exposure causes.
  • H. F. 233, A bill for an act relating to public safety; prohibiting commercial vehicles from driving in the left lane except in cases to pass another vehicle and moving over for emergency vehicles.
  • H. F. 268, A bill for an act relating to public safety; increasing penalties for violating disability parking space prohibitions.

Lucero

Rep. Lucero sharing his legislative preview with the STMA School Board.

K-12 SOCIAL STUDY STANDARDS

I have received numerous communications from people concerned about the first draft K-12 academic standards in social studies recently released by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), and I share the concerns.

Every 10 years, MDE is required to review and revise the standards in different areas such as math, science, etc., and this is the year for social studies. The second draft will be released next month and the final version in May which will govern the learning benchmarks for K-12 students for the next decade. I’ve included below several notables contained in the first draft. As I read the proposal, the words of Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana echo in my head: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Removed from the current social studies standards:

  • World War I—benchmarks on the social, political and economic causes of the war; nations involved, major political and military figures, key battles; political impact (including formation of the League of Nations)
  • World War II—benchmarks on the social, political and economic causes of the war, and main turning points; nations involved, major political and military figures, key battles; timeline of key events leading to WWII
  • The Holocaust (including references to the Nazi regime and Jews)
  • Rise and effects of communism and socialism; Communist Revolution
  • American Revolution—benchmarks on timeline of the major events and turning points of the revolution, including the involvement of other nations and the reasons for American victory; identifying historically significant people during the period of the revolution (Examples: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Elizabeth Freeman)
  • Civil War—benchmarks on timeline of the key events of the war; causes of the war; major political and military events; main ideas of the debate over slavery and states’ rights and how they resulted in major political compromises and ultimately war

Lucero

Rep. Lucero sharing his legislative preview with the Albertville City Council.

CALIFORNIA AUTO EMISSION STANDARDS

It is well recognized California’s restrictive, bureaucratic mandates have resulted in California’s high tax, crushing regulation, anti-business, high cost of living reality of the state. In response, major employers and people alike are fleeing to states that actually encourage innovation, job creation, and high quality-of-life metrics. Despite this truth, Gov. Walz and legislative Democrats continue their quest to transform Minnesota into an even higher tax and regulation, cold California.

In addition to Gov. Walz’s demands for a 20-cent gas tax increase, Gov. Walz is now attempting to use the bureaucratic rule making process within the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to further usurp the Legislative Branch. Gov. Walz is abusing administrative rule making to adopt contentious regulations crafted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) requiring the use of low emissions vehicles (LEVs) and zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) in Minnesota.

If Democrats get their way, we may have to change our state motto to, “Minnesota: Come for the cold weather, stay for the high taxes and regulations.”

My message to Gov. Walz is simple: You are not a king, Gov. Walz. Follow the Constitution by finding support for your ideas and passing them through the Legislature.

Lucero

Rep. Lucero sharing his legislative preview with the Hanover City Council.

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