The Minnesota Legislature convened Jan. 3 for their 2017 legislative session, which will include the passage of a K-12 finance omnibus bill for the next biennium. 17 local school districts and their counterparts in city government took an evening a few weeks prior to talk about education funding equity with local members of Minnesota’s House […]
Education Bill Veto Gives STMA Committee One More Chance at Change
The group is continuing to lobby for funding equity as the Legislature awaits its call back.
Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed a bipartisan education bill last week that would have closed much of the books on the 2015 Legislative Session. By doing that, however, he’s left open a crack – one that a group of St. Michael-Albertville area school supporters are hoping can lead to more change when it comes to school […]
Lucero Gun Law Passes Minnesota House
A bill Rep. Eric Lucero, R-Dayton, authored to clarify current state law regarding law-abiding Minnesota citizens purchasing long guns in any state overwhelmingly passed the full House 110-19 Thursday. Lucero’s bill (H.F. 830) clarifies existing state law to conform with federal law. The Minnesota Legislature passed a law in 1969 affirming Minnesota residents purchasing long […]
Legislative Update: Week Off Gives Lucero a Chance to Meet Students, Constituents
A week away from the Capitol made for a busy few days for the first-year Legislator.
The Legislature spent last week on a brief Easter/Passover break, which provided a great opportunity to attend events all around our community and meet as many people as possible. Below is a quick rundown of some of activities last week: Linda from Otsego invited me to visit her home where she and her husband operate […]
Lucero Thanks Voters For Minnesota Primary Victory
Republican nominee Eric Lucero, the clear frontrunner in the race for District 30B in the Minnesota House of Representatives, issued this statement about his win over challenger Kevin Kasel of St. Michael last night. “Thank you to the voters for trusting me to move on to the general election. I look forward to continuing the […]
Prohibition’s Progeny: Understanding Minnesota’s Three-Tiered Alcohol Distribution System
As Minnesota continues its move to the forefront of the craft beer industry in the United States, supporters suffered a setback in this Legislative session when efforts to repeal Minnesota’s decades old ban on Sunday off-sale liquor sales failed at the hands of special interests (liquor store lobbyists, cities with municipal liquor stores, wholesalers and […]
A Breakdown of Minnesota’s New Tax Relief Package
After getting a verbal beat down from Gov. Mark Dayton earlier in the session, the Minnesota State Legislature overwhelmingly passed nearly $500 million (depending on who you ask) tax relief bill Friday afternoon, making sweeping changes to the sweeping changes enforced after the 2013 Legislative Session. Governor Mark Dayton immediately signed legislation (HF1777), cutting taxes […]
FitzSimmons Withdraws Name, Will Not Run for Second Term
A “yes” vote on last year’s gay marriage bill might have cost Rep. David FitzSimmons a shot at a second term last weekend, as the St. Michael-Albertville-Otsego area Republican decided to pull his name from the ballot at the Wright County Republicans’ District 30 convetion in Buffalo. FitzSimmons had been soundly crticized by local Republicans […]