Legislative Update - Rep. Tom Murphy

Legislative Update

Friends and Neighbors,

After last week’s Blackout bill that will turn the lights off on Minnesotans as our coal, natural gas, and waste-to-energy base load production is forced to shut down by 2040 this week hasn’t started much better. On Monday the house DFL passed language to provide driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants with zero guardrails to make sure these documents are not being used for anything outside of driving and car insurance. While there is a strong argument for public safety that this bill could provide by allowing these drivers to get insurance and take some driver training courses, I believe the lack of markings or data sharing to prevent these from being used for voter registration is unacceptable.

(https://fb.watch/iwRdWJ8Ctt/) 

Felon Voting is another one of the Democrats’ top priorities that they have rushed through the process this week. While voting rights are already rightfully restored once someone charged with a felony has completed their entire sentence this bill, HF 28, would return a felon’s right to vote as soon as they are out of prison, while they’re still on probation. In some cases where the punishment is only felony probation, they would never lose their voting rights. Taking the teeth out of any punishment removes the consequences of committing one of these crimes. In some of these cases, the victims may never be able to vote again and yet democrats continue to remove layers of accountability for criminals.

In Committee

In committee this week we heard House File 2 to create a mandate for paid family and medical leave for every business in Minnesota no matter their size. This is a burdensome expectation for many small businesses as well as creates more government bureaucracy that is even funded by an increase to the state payroll tax. This mandate gives individuals 12 weeks of family leave and 12 weeks of medical leave which would leave businesses short-staffed and in many cases required to backfill these positions.

Visit the Capitol

This week in the rotunda Minnesotans for Health and Parental Rights held their annual rally. The rotunda was absolutely packed with families and individuals from all over the state who made the journey to St. Paul to make sure their voice was heard. Leaders in the movement as well as some of my House Republican colleagues got up to speak and share a vision for the future of Minnesota that protects parents' rights. I was able to speak with a few constituents I saw at the rally, and it was great to hear their dedication to defending the future of their children. I will always stand with parents who want to provide a safe and healthy life for their children.

Children are the future of Minnesota and organizations like this have an important role in shaping what our state will look like. I hope our work in the legislature will serve this goal of providing a great state for our descendants long into the future. If you have thoughts or concerns about the legislation that will shape the future of Minnesota, please reach out to my office at Rep.Tom.Murphy@house.mn.gov or 651-296-4946.

Stay Up-to-Date

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