Dear Neighbors,
On Tuesday, I participated in the annual March for Life on the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol. This is a yearly event in which folks from all over the state come to St. Paul to peacefully protest our state and nation’s abortion laws and to celebrate the sanctity of life.
It was great to be joined by so many engaged and active citizens that were willing to brave the cold weather to stand for the rights of the unborn.
I will continue to be a tireless advocate for the unborn as long as I’m your representative.
In other news, one of my bills received a hearing this week before the Government Operations Committee. House File 33 puts service cooperatives into state statute as a governmental unit. The reason for putting them into statute is because it helps service cooperatives when they decide to enter into joint powers agreements.
I appreciate Chair Freiberg’s willingness to hear my bill and am hopeful that it will continue through the legislative process and eventually become law. Stay tuned on this.
Also taking place this week was a bill hearing in the House Transportation Policy and Finance Committee on a piece of legislation that would ban the use of cell phones and other hand-held devices while operating a car. Under House File 50, all handheld mobile device usage would be illegal, including making phone calls, texting, accessing applications, and playing audio or video content while operating a car. A few exceptions are allowed including activating or deactivating features on the device using a one-touch mode, some emergency situations, and for use in emergency vehicles when used for official duties.
According to the Department of Public Safety, distracted driving causes roughly 20 percent of crashes on the state’s roadways and kills an average of 53 people each year. This bill is an attempt to limit distracted driving in the state.
Finally, I visited with a handful of constituents this week to discuss issues that are important to them. Among those that visited were Wadena County Commissioners Sheldon Monson and Bill Stearns and Beth McMullen & Anna Woidyla. Beth and Anna visited to discuss Alzheimer’s research and awareness. Thank you for taking the time to visit, it was great to meet with you!
That’s all for this week’s update. I will have more for you as the session progresses as it’s sure to be a busy year. In the meantime, I urge you to contact me if you have any legislative questions, concerns, or ideas. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-5356 or via email at rep.john.poston@house.mn.
Have a good weekend,
John