Legislative Update: Preventing Gun Violence and Fraud

Hello neighbors,

Week two of session was full of meaningful hearings, incredible testimony from community members, and more disappointing partisan fighting that stalls progress for Minnesotans. In this newsletter, I’ll share the two biggest topics from last week — gun violence prevention and anti-fraud measures.

Taking Action on Gun Violence Prevention

Two empty school desks currently sit in a corridor of the State Capitol. They represent the loss of Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski, whose lives were taken last August during the Annunciation Catholic Church and School shooting. Their families are calling for action. I hope you can take a few moments to listen to Harper’s mom’s testimony in the House Public Safety Committee. 

We’re advocating for bills this session to ban assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and binary triggers, require safe storage, and mandate the reporting of lost or stolen guns.  

Fletcher and Harper should still be in school today. Minnesotans are asking us to take meaningful action to prevent future gun deaths. With a tied House, all it takes is one Republican to join us, say “enough,” and stand with the families of Annunciation and the nearly 70% of Minnesotans who are calling for action on gun violence. The only place these common-sense measures are controversial are within the Capitol — the vast majority of us want our communities to be safe from gun violence.

Fighting Fraud

Let me be clear: fraud at any level, at any amount in government is unacceptable and abhorrent. First of all, these are taxpayer dollars. Second, these are dollars intended to go to programs meant to serve kids with autism, homeless Minnesotans, and people living with disabilities. Who steals from some of the most vulnerable among us? It’s outrageous. 

We have been taking on — and will continue to take on — the bad actors who cheat Minnesotans out of public resources and steal from Minnesota taxpayers. Last week, my colleagues and I announced our package of legislation aimed at combating fraud. You can watch my full comments from the press conference here. These are actual solutions aimed at holding fraudsters accountable, preventing fraud in the future, and strengthening programs and systems so that the dollars flow to the people they're intended to help.

If everyone at the Legislature is serious about combatting fraud, we should be able to put political spectacle aside and get this work done this year.

Standing Up for Strong Union Jobs & Investments in Infrastructure

I was grateful to be invited to LiUNA’s Capitol Rally last week, where so many trades workers came together to advocate for needed investments in infrastructure. These workers do the essential, often unseen, hard work that keeps our communities going and our quality of life strong in Minnesota. I’ll continue advocating to replace lead pipes, improve the infrastructure our communities rely on every day, and ensure workers have strong protections on the job with wages and benefits that can support a family. 

Stay in Touch!

I greatly appreciate any time my constituents take out of their busy lives to share their thoughts and opinions with me. Please continue to reach out - it truly helps me represent you at the Legislature. You can email me at rep.zack.stephenson@house.mn.gov. 

Sincerely,

Zack

PS: I forgot to mention last week that we have two new House members! Rep. Meg Luger-Nikolai is a Labor attorney and Rep. Shelley Buck is a former Tribal leader and a current environmental leader. Both are going to be strong voices as we work to build a better future for Minnesotans.