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

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Rep. Eric Lucero (30B) Legislative Update

Friday, March 13, 2015

We have received feedback that sometimes these email updates are experiencing transmission faults. The House underwent a format change several months ago and some issues have come to our attention. We are working to resolve these problems, but please let me know if your report is jumbled.

Thanks,

Eric

 

Dear Neighbor,

Greetings from St. Paul! It’s been very busy meeting policy committee deadlines approach in the House, as well as other activities.

Camp Ripley

The first item of business Monday at 6 a.m. was a legislator trip as part of the Mining and Outdoor Recreation Committee to Camp Ripley to join researchers from Medtronic studying hibernation of bears. We learned bears in hibernation metabolize fat tissue while preserving muscle tissue. This biological advantage protects the bear’s body from deterioration. Human bodies in a coma or similar incapacitated state, however, consume muscle tissue while preserving fat tissue. The focus of the medical research is to learn how/why bears in hibernation metabolize fat tissue so we can potentially replicate the phenomenon to help humans.

Committee Activity Highlights

PRO 2ND AMENDMENT BILL

HF 830 is my bill which seeks to protect the rights of law abiding citizens by aligning Minnesota with more than 40 states that have conformed their statutes to federal law so their residents can purchase rifles and shotguns in non-contiguous states, provided the purchase or transfer complies with state and federal law. Both the NRA and the Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance (GOCRA) testified in favor of my bill which passed with unanimous support to be sent to the full House for consideration.

Other Bill Activity Highlights

CHIEF AUTHOR

  • HF 1777 – This bill seeks to update the definition of "Instructional material" to include material designed for use by students and teachers regardless of the format of the learning source, printed or nonprinted, such as textbooks or online, technology based forms. I strongly believe parents should have the authority to review the content of instructional material schools are using when teaching children, including digital or online formats. 
  • HF 1778 – The number of tests, surveys, and questionnaires children are inundated with in school is absolutely ridiculous! Several parents have brought to my attention examples of questions asked of students which cross the line in my opinion. My bill seeks to prevent intrusive questions such as political or religious beliefs, sexual behavior or attitudes, income, and other private topics. My bill will also empower parents by requiring schools to notify parents 15-30 days prior to administering surveys to students, require consent from parents, and require hard copy of the survey be available for parents to review if they so choose. 
  • HF 1779 – Current law only requires schools notify parents of the option to Opt-Out of schools disclosing Directory Information of their children to third parties. My bill seeks to change this to Opt-In. Doing so will empower parents because schools will be required to obtain express permission before disclosing Directory Information or other Personally Identifiable Information about a student to any third party or any governmental entity over which the State of Minnesota, the school district, or the school has no direct control. 

AMONG THE BILLS I CO-AUTHORED

  • HF 1546 – I strongly disagree with the change the Minnesota State High School League made last December requiring MSHSL member schools to allow transgender students to choose to play on the team that matches the student’s gender identity. The MSHSL change means a teen born male can choose to play on female teams. This bill seeks to protect the safety and privacy of all students and maintain order and dignity in restrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms, showers, and other facilities where students may be in various states of undress in the presence of other students.

As always, please contact me with your feedback on any issue or if there is anything I may be able to assist you with.

Thank you,

Eric Lucero