Greetings

Greetings Senate District 32 constituents. It’s been a busy and productive month so far at the Capitol. In this newsletter, I’ll be discussing recent legislative developments my office has been involved in while highlighting important events that have recently taken place in Chisago and Isanti counties.

Midco Partners with FCC to Bridge Digital Divide in Chisago County

Midco recently announced that 1,001 homes, farms, and businesses in Chisago County will soon have access to high-speed broadband access thanks to a partnership between the Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and Midco after the company won a $1.1 million auction to expand service. Construction in Lindstrom and Chisago Lake Township will begin this year, and some locations covered by the RDOF award will begin receiving broadband by the year’s end. Midco will serve most of Chisago County’s new service areas with fiberoptic broadband services capable of delivering 5 Gbps of download and upload speeds. Additionally, regional communications companies will now be able to serve thousands of additional homes and businesses in the coming years.

High-speed internet is a utility that communities must look to expand and make available for residents. The COVID pandemic has only made this premise clearer since Minnesotans have become reliant on internet connectivity for work, school, medicine, socialization, and entertainment. In Greater Minnesota, far too many folks still do not have access to high-speed internet, but with programs like the RDOF and an increased emphasis at the Capitol ending that disparity is within reach. Ultimately, high-speed internet access is critical to economic opportunity, job creation, education, and civic engagement, and I applaud the fact that RDOF will direct up to $20.4 billion to expand broadband in unserved rural areas.

Social Studies Standards

On Monday, February 8 the Senate Education Finance and Policy Committee heard from Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Commissioner Mary Cathryn Ricker about the Department’s controversial newly proposed social studies standards. The first draft of these standards eliminates learning benchmarks for the American flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, and events such as the American Revolution, World War I, World War II, and the Holocaust. In accordance with state statute, every ten years, the Minnesota Department of Education updates the State’s social studies standards. The 38 member Minnesota Social Study Standards Committee released the first draft of their proposed changes late last year. The committee will be working on additional drafts in the coming months.

Personally. I find the new social studies standards abhorrent. Attempts to shield our children from truth and objective learning standards will produce overwhelmingly negative results and I’m not willing to take that risk.  We need to ensure that our children are taught the most important events in our shared history. If we move away from that goal, future generations will struggle to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors.  

The Department has a website explaining the proposed standards and announcing public meetings. For more information, visit https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/stds/ soc/

Getting kids back in school

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Senate heard Senate File 2, which will protect students’ right to an excellent education at all times. This bill removes the governor’s authority to close schools or alter school schedules via executive order. Decisions about opening and closing schools will be left in the hands of school districts moving forward, where local officials have firsthand knowledge of their students’ needs.

Research has confirmed that our children are not super spreaders, and we must begin to shift our focus to what is best for them.  Since the onset of COVID-19, Governor Walz has used his authority to be the sole decider of a decision that should have never been his alone. With a network of 300 unique school districts, we should always have been working to empower local administrations to make the right choices for our Children. The bill simply states the governor may not use executive order authority to issue any order or to authorize the commissioner of education to alter school schedules, curtail school activities, or order schools closed.

There is mounting evidence that schools pose a minimal risk of spreading the coronavirus. A fall Reuters report that studied 191 countries also found no clear link between school reopenings and coronavirus surges. In addition, Axios looked at several studies and found schools are not COVID-19 hotspots, and the Atlantic Magazine wrote that kids are not super spreaders and that it is time to reopen schools. The New York Times reported on evidence that schools are not “stoking community transmission.”

There is also agreement about the impact distance learning is having on students. The American Association of Pediatrics has said, “The AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with the goal of having students physically present in school. The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring of 2020.” Additionally, UNICEF has warned of a ‘lost generation’ and found that school closures are ineffective, and the Sahan Journal found the pandemic has had a “devastating” impact on communities of color in St. Paul Public Schools.

I fully support Senate File 2 and hope to see this legislation gain traction in the House of Representatives in the coming days. 

SF 4:

On Tuesday, February 9 one of the committees I sit on (the Senate’s State Government Finance & Policy Committee) heard SF 4 which would reassert a fair balance of governing power between the legislative branch and the executive branch during future states of emergency through requiring the Governor of Minnesota to obtain legislative approval to extend any emergency declaration beyond 30 days. This differs from current law, which allows the governor to extend a peacetime emergency indefinitely for 30 days at a time and only grants the legislature the ability to cancel emergency powers with a majority vote of both the House and Senate. SF 4 also requires the governor to give three days’ notice to the majority and minority leaders of each body if they intend to extend a peacetime emergency when the legislature is not in session, prohibits the governor from canceling an emergency order and issuing a new declaration for the same emergency in order to avoid approval by the legislature, and clarifies that if the governor declares two peacetime emergencies concurrently, the same legislative approval of any extension past 30 days is required for the second emergency.

Minnesota prides itself on leading the nation in voter turnout, which in itself is an endorsement of our democratic process. Yet when it comes to the recent operation of our state government, it is now clear that Governor Walz’s abuse of emergency powers undermines those same values. One person was not meant to be the sole decision-maker for our state. While we afford flexibility to the governor for emergencies on a temporary basis, that power should only remain until the legislature and executive can work together, which this legislation clarifies. Although Governor Walz has offered to end his emergency powers IF legislators agree first to pass a list of his demands, emergency powers were never meant to be abused as a bargaining tool. At the end of the day, the constitution protects the legislature and Minnesotan’s elected voice in government. We will not allow that to be undermined. I fully support SF 4 and hope to his Legislation is eventually passed out of the Senate chamber.

SF 254:

On Tuesday, February 9 I presented Senate File 254 (Licensed substance use disorder treatment providers alternative licensing inspections establishment) before the Senate’s Human Services Reform Licensing Policy Committee. This bill seeks to protect the public and those served while also reducing costs and saving administrative time for substance use disorder providers through providing an alternative licensing inspection process for substance use disorder providers that are accredited and meet other qualification including being in substantial and consistent compliance with standing licensing requirements. I’ve always believed that our state government is in desperate need of reform and this bill is another step in the process. I’m happy to carry SF 254 and look forward to advocating for the cause of licensing reform in the future.

SF 300

On Monday, February 1 I presented SF 300 (FATHER Project grant appropriation) before the Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Finance and Policy Committee. SF 300 would fund the FATHER Project in the upcoming budget. Founded in 1999 the FATHER (Fostering Actions to Help Earnings and Responsibility) Project became a program of Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota in 2004. Since then, the Father Project has served thousands of fathers through an extensive network of community partners.

The Father Project’s mission is to assist fathers in overcoming the barriers that prevent them from supporting their children economically and emotionally. The program has delivered proven results too, as outcome evaluations have shown increased parenting skills, educational achievement, job placement and benefits for the children of participating families. I’ve carried SF 300 the last four years and am proud to support this Bill and similar legislative attempts to help young Fathers play an active and productive role in their children’s’ lives. A well-functioning society requires healthy father figures to serve as role model in their communities and families and I’m glad to lend a hand in improving the issues of fatherlessness.

SF 353

On Thursday, February 4 the Committee which I currently am chairman of, the Senate Technology and Reform Committee, heard SF 353 (Minnesota department of information technology provisions technical changes). This is a technical bill aimed at modernizing Minnesota IT Services (the information technology agency for Minnesota’s executive branch) so MNIT can provide improved services to citizens of our great State who depend on superior IT unfractured. MNIT originally brought SF 353 to my office and I gladly agreed to author it due to the many benefits this bill offers to broad Swaths of Senate District 32. I am happy to report that SF 353 was passed out of the Technology and Reform Committee with a positive recommendation. I look forward to continuing to work on this legislation and improving IT infrastructure throughout the State of Minnesota.

Lindstrom Bakery award

Food and Wine Magazine recently awarded Windstorm Bakery the prestigious distinction of making the best Donuts in the Entire state of Minnesota. Family-owned businesses like Lindstrom bakery serve as backbones for our rural communities and I commend the bakery’s owners and employees on garnering this outstanding achievement. Should you find yourself near Lindstrom, don’t hesitate to stop into the bakery to purchase a donut or other baked goods!!!

Conclusion

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter and stay up to date on current events in St. Paul. I look forward to supporting or shared values and working hard to find solutions for the most pressing issues facing us today throughout the rest of session.