Dear Neighbor,
The governor called us into a special session on the 13th as otherwise his unilateral emergency authority powers would have expired. The Senate immediately passed a resolution to curtail the governor’s unilateral authority.
I supported bringing an identical resolution to the house floor for debate. The measure to debate the issue failed on a bi-partisan vote 63 to 70. The governor’s unilateral authority to close businesses, schools and other critical community services remains fully intact for another 30 days.
There is an ongoing effort to work with the governor to provide a venue that allows for continued careful, but more inclusive management of the COVID-19 health issue. Those discussions are happening, but as yet have not reached an agreement on how best to move forward.
I continue to work on providing more flexibility for individuals in our community with special needs. They rely on our local Development Achievement Centers (DAC) as their primary means of support and employment. We are making progress, but I remain impatient with any further delays in remedying this situation.
For several weeks the guardians of special needs individuals, the DAC centers themselves and a broad group of legislators have pushed the administration on this issue. This past Sunday, the Health and Humans Services Commissioner after looking at the data, discovered that the hard lockdown policy for these individuals was probably not warranted and has relaxed some of the restrictions. I will continue to pursue this, as we are not yet where we need to be in this area.
Regrettably, due to state rules, I am not allowed to provide further weekly legislative updates directly to you via my state email account until after the November election.
Be assured I am working every day on your behalf. Through news releases to the local newspapers, which are also posted on my official website, I will continue to provide important legislative information as it occurs, please check my official House website frequently.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly by email at rep.dale.lueck@house.mn or call or write my office at (651) 296-2365, 423 State Office Building, 100 Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55155.
It’s an honor to continue to serve the citizens of our district. Until November, please be safe and enjoy the rest of the summer.
Sincerely,
Dale