A
weekly
message
from
your
Senator
I
am excited
to
announce
that
we
are
hosting
a
Senate
District
49
Day
at
the
Capitol
on
Friday,
February
24th.
We
plan
to
offer
tours
of
the
newly
renovated
Capitol,
have
a
“mini”
town
hall
to
meet
with
constituents
and
showcase
some
of
our
districts
most
impressive
high
school
robotics
teams.
More
details
can
be
found
below.
Recently,
I
have
been
contacted
by
constituents
to
learn
about
my
position
of
several
bills
introduced
dealing
with
demonstrations
in
Minnesota.
I
am
currently
opposed
to
these
“protest”
bills
as
they
are
currently
drafted
as
they
pose
serious
constitutional
questions
regarding
the
right
to
free
speech
among
other
considerations.
Public
safety
of
every
Minnesotan
is
my
top
priority
as
a
member
of
the
Senate
Public
Safety
Committee
and
I
will
evaluate
each
bill
on
its
merits
before
I
cast
my
final
vote.
As
always,
I
appreciate
your
comments
and
concerns.
Feel
free
to
reach
out
anytime
and
I
hope
to
see
some
of
you
on
February
24th
during
SD49
Day
at
the
Capitol.
Sincerely,
Senator
Melisa
Franzen
Senator
Franzen
Hosting
a
Senate
District
49
Day
at
the
Capitol
Governor
Dayton
presents
tax
plan
to
Senate
Tax
Committee
This
week,
the
Senate
Tax
Committee
heard
an
outline
of
the
Governor's
plan
for
the
2018-2019
budget
cycle
(S.F.
726),
which
features
increased
tax
relief
for
many
Minnesotans.
One
form
of
this
tax
relief
is
the
Governor's
proposed
expansion
to
the
Working
Family
Tax
Credit
and
the
Child
and
Dependent
Care
Credit,
which
would
increase
the
benefits
and
allow
a
wider
proportion
of
the
population
to
claim
this
credit
which
aims
to
help
those
who
are
struggling
to
pay
for
costs
related
to
raising
a
child,
including
childcare
and
education
expenses.
The
bill
also
includes
relief
for
the
state's
farmers
and
local
governments
in
an
effort
to
help
alleviate
the
costs
associated
with
the
implementation
of
new
buffer
requirements. The
testifiers on
this
bill,
who
were
from
various
associations
and
nonprofits
from
across
the
state,
were
mostly
in
support
of
the
increased
benefits
to
middle
and
lower
income
Minnesotans.
REAL
ID
Moves
to
Committee
on
State
Government
Finance
and
Policy
and
Elections
The
Senate
Judiciary
Committee
worked
into
this
evening
hours
on
Wednesday
to
vote
on
the
REAL
ID
measure
currently
moving
its
way
to
the
Senate
floor.
The
bill
is
attempting
to
compromise
federal
rules
for
official
forms
of
identification
and
Minnesota’s
own
rules
regarding
such
documents.
It
has
been
an
unresolved
issue
over
the
past
few
years
as
language
in
previous
bills
was
restrictive
towards
immigrants
and
gave
the
federal
government
some
power
over
Minnesota’s
licensing
practices.
What
is
currently
being
proposed
is
a
two-tiered
system
of
licenses
with
the
first
tier
being
a
federally-compliant
ID
and
the
second-tier
being
a
Minnesota-compliant
ID.
The
federally-compliant
ID
would
be
usable in
all
domestic
flights
and
travels,
whereas
the
Minnesota-compliant
ID
would
require
less
personal
information
and
may
not
be
accepted
as
a
form
of
identification
in
some
airports.
Minnesota
has
until
January
2018
to
figure
out
a
course
of
action.
The
bill
narrowly
passed
with
a
4-3
vote
and
is
on
its
way
now
to
the
Committee
on
State
Government
Finance
and
Policy
and
Elections
(S.F.
166).
Preemption
Bill
moves
to
committee
S.F.
580
was
heard
this
week
by
the
Jobs
and
Economic
Growth
Finance
and
Policy
Committee,
which
would
prevent
local
governments
from
creating
their
own
labor
practices,
including
wage
and
certain
work-related
benefits,
if
not
compliant
with
statewide
standards.
Testifiers
included
organizations
such
as
the
Minnesota
Chamber
of
Commerce,
who
showed
support
for
the
bill,
as
they
feel
there
could
be
inconsistencies
in
labor
practices
across
the
state
if
local
governments
are
allowed
to
dictate
their
own.
Those
in
opposition
to
the
bill
included
many
labor
organizations
that
argued
that
cities
should
be
able
to
decide
what
is
best
for
their
local
constituents,
as
they
are
closer
to
them
and
better
understand
what
benefits
the
workers
in
their
areas
the
most.
This
year,
many
Minneapolis
and
St.
Paul
residents
are
going
to
receive
the
newly-enacted
increased
paid
leave
benefits,
which
mirror
similar
proposals
in
31
other
cities
across
the
country.
This
proposal
is
in
large
part
in
reaction
to
that
ordinance.
The
bill
passed
the
Jobs
and
Economic
Growth
Finance
and
Policy
Committee
and
was
referred
to
the
Local
Government
Committee.
Controversial
Anti-Protesting
bills
introduced
in
Senate
Three
bills,
S.F.
679,
676,
and
148,
have
been
introduced
in
the
Senate
mirroring
bills
already
proposed
in
the
House.
These
bills
are
an
effort
to
increase
criminal
penalties
and
potentially
make
protesters
liable
for
the
costs
that
may
be
incurred
due
to
public
safety
response.
Supporters
of
the
bill
feel
that
the
stricter
policies
surrounding
protests
are
necessary
due
to
the
increased
disruption,
especially
transportation-related
delays,
that
have
been
associated
with
recent
protests.
Authors
of
these
bills
hope
to
incentivize
future
protesters
to
follow
the
law,
as
only
those
convicted
of
criminal
activity
will
be
responsible
for
the
costs
and
increased
penalties.
There
are,
however,
many
concerns
with
how
this
affects
one's
First
Amendment
right
to
peaceful
assembly,
and
if
they
are
even
compliant
with
it.
Bill
could
ban
handheld
cellphone
us
while
driving
in
Minnesota
A
bipartisan
bill,
S.F.
837,
proposed
this
week
would
prohibit
the
use
of
handheld
mobile
devices
while
driving.
This
bill
is
an
effort
to
prevent
further
crashes
in
the
state
due
to
distracted
driving,
which
according
to
the
Minnesota
Office
of
Traffic
Safety,
accounts
for
one
in
four
crashes.
This
ban
would
build
upon
the
current
ban
on
texting
while
driving,
in
an
effort
to
further
dissuade
drivers
from
using
their
devices
while
driving.
If
passed,
Minnesota
would
join
14
other
states
who
ban
the
use
of
handheld
mobile
devices.
The
bill
was
referred
to
the
Senate
Transportation
Committee.
Committee
hears
bill
on
encouraging
research
and
development
This
past
week,
the
Taxes
Committee
heard
a
bill
on
increasing
tax
credits
for
research
and
development
in
Minnesota.
The
provisions
of
the
bill
allow
for
an
increase
in
the
percentage
allowed
on
research
expenses
for
the
second
tier
of
the
research
and
development
(R&D)
tax
credit.
The
bill
is
supposed
to
address
Minnesota’s
growing
strength
as
an
R&D
leader
across
the
United
States
(S.F.
417).
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