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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Jeremy Munson (R)

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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FROM REP. JEREMY MUNSON - DISTRICT 23-B

Thursday, April 16, 2020

The House came back into session on Tuesday. Due to the Speaker's social distancing rules, I, and the majority of other legislators, still do not have a seat in the chamber - but I was allowed to speak. Once again, the members of the New House Republican Caucus lead the way.

House Concurrent Resolution 8

We offered the first resolution brought forward on Tuesday to end the Governor’s emergency peacetime powers. This would allow elected members of the legislature to vote on any needed legislation responding to COVID-19 and to open our state.

This motion has never been heard in our state, and was brought forward by Republicans in both the old and new house caucuses. Should this resolution have passed, it would have immediately been sent to the Senate where the two chambers could then work together to quickly organize any necessary companion legislation needed to safely reopen the state. We worked with non-partisan research staff to correctly draft this resolution and work through the process, as it is different than the normal legislative process. Unfortunately, this motion failed.

The legislature has never faced a situation where the executive branch has taken its powers for an undefined period of time. The emergency powers were not intended to go unchecked. These powers were written to respond to natural disasters, where there is a clear end. In the case of viruses, which may always be present, the end to the powers is not clear. While the Governor's execution of his powers were well intended, they must not continue indefinitely. This creates a politically charged dilemma for the Governor, because COVID-19 is not disappearing. Any time we open our state, we will be opening with risk, and there will inevitably be deaths, however, continuing as we are, also presents deadly risks. The reality is we cannot sustain our current position. People in both parties must stop pointing fingers. This cannot be a politically motivated decision. This motion is not a reflection upon the Governor, but rather a reflection upon our reality and our form of government.

You Should Hear It From Me

It is time for the legislature to take back its power to write laws for our State, and not have one man continuing to create law without input from elected lawmakers. It is time we start taking back our lives and open the state. We must find ways to balance the risks of COVID-19 with the deadly risks caused by our reaction to the virus. 

You can hear my speech on the House floor for this resolution here.

Jeremy floor speech 4-14

I also talked about why we need to take these actions now and continue to push to reopen MN on the radio yesterday: Munson on KTOE 

munsonsig

Jeremy Munson
State Representative, 23B


Contact:

If you have any questions regarding COVID-19, please don’t hesitate to contact me or my office. We are still attempting to provide regular contact remotely so if you have other needs, please email my Legislative Assistant, Barbara, at barbara.smith@house.mn.

Watch the Minnesota House on Public TV

Video: Streaming Website. Also you can watch committees and Floor Sessions on YouTube.