Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: May 25, 2019

CAPITOL UPDATE SPECIAL SESSION 2019

Recently, the Legislature adjourned until Tuesday, February 11, 2020. However, much of the Legislature’s 2019 work is yet to be completed. With a $48 billion agreement between the Senate, House, and Governor, a Special Session is happening now. I am confident that the three sides can come together and find a compromise in a timely manner, but that task is often difficult to complete in a divided government.

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Senator Latz thanked a Hmong veteran who served in the U.S. Vietnam War on April 30 during the celebration of the dedication of Hmong Veterans Day. Pictured to the right is Attorney General Keith Ellison and Senator Foung Hawj. We thank all of the Hmong veterans for their brave service to our country.

Included in the agreement that was struck Sunday evening were global budget targets. These global targets are essentially an agreement on the amount of funding each committee receives with some micro-level details, but leaves room for negotiations between the three parties. For example, the Governor and Legislature agreed to remove the Provider Tax sunset and settle at the reduced rate of 1.8% – compared to 2.0% previously – in the Health and Human Services budget. However, other policy provisions and budget items are in the process of being negotiated between the three parties. Continue reading “Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: May 25, 2019”

Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: April 12, 2019

CAPITOL UPDATE APRIL 12, 2019

As the Minnesota Legislature reached its third deadline on April 12, committees produced packages of budget bills and other policy-related omnibus bills. As the minority lead on the Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee, I was very disappointed that a number of important state initiatives, some of which are outlined below, were left out of this particular majority-led caucus budget bill.

The Senate majority caucus has the power to put forth a budget that reflects their priorities. This week, the Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee put forth a budget that would cut funding to our state’s many public safety criminal investigation and prevention programs. A budget is the ultimate moral document because the money that we spend as a state reflects those philosophical and moral priorities. It’s not merely about whether you agree with the Governor. This is a choice by the Senate majority caucus to cut funding for a program that helps our veterans coming back home to prevent domestic violence and save their families as well as themselves. This is a choice by the Senate majority caucus to cut funding for the Department of Corrections that will save the lives of our corrections officers and other offenders living in those facilities, and whether we’ll have the funding to treat offenders so when they go back to their homes and their community, they aren’t reoffending and creating more victims. The budget put forward by the Senate majority is their preferred budget, and I don’t accept it as simply a negotiating ploy. They must do better. If you’d like to see my full committee speech, please click on the YouTube link below. Continue reading “Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: April 12, 2019”

Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: March 22, 2019

CAPITOL UPDATE MARCH 21, 2019

Friday, March 15 marked the halfway point of the 2019 session and the end of first deadline for bills to pass through committee. As of first committee deadline day, over 2,500 bills have been introduced in the Senate and many will not meet the first deadline. The first deadline requires policy bills to have had their first hearing in the committee of origin unless the companion bill in the House has been heard. However, finance, tax, and capital investment bills do not have to meet this deadline.

Unfortunately, the majority-controlled Senate has yet to hear both of the gun violence prevention measures that I introduced with my Senate colleagues in the first weeks of session. It’s been more than a year and a half and the Senate Judiciary committee has yet to give these bills a public hearing. However, because the House has heard both the criminal background check expansion bill and the extreme risk protection orders bill, the bill has met first deadline qualifications and the measures live on.

Below you can click on a mid-session Capitol video update. I highlight a few items in the video, but there of course remains much to do. Continue reading “Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: March 22, 2019”

Sen. Ron Latz Update: March 1, 2019

CAPITOL UPDATE MARCH 1, 2019


Senator Ron Latz testified in support of a bill this past week.

Net Neutrality: As many of you may know, I am once again pursuing a net neutrality bill in the Senate. Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids) is carrying the measure through the other legislative body. By prohibiting internet service providers from blocking or slowing internet traffic based on its content, Minnesotans would not be charged more based on the content they wish to access. If net neutrality regulations aren’t put in place, small businesses would not be able to fairly compete with larger companies. Providers could slow down access to websites to the benefit of large corporations that can afford to pay the high costs, leaving upstart businesses reeling to pay high costs for the particular kind of content they would need to access in order to be successful. The bill is currently moving its way through the House, but may face obstacles to receive a hearing in the Senate. Nonetheless, I remain committed in pushing forward this crucial consumer protection initiative. Continue reading “Sen. Ron Latz Update: March 1, 2019”

Private prison ban is heard in Legislature

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Legislation authored by House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler and state Senator Ron Latz (DFL – St. Louis Park) that would ban private prisons in Minnesota was heard the House Corrections Division this morning. HF 1237 was held over for inclusion in a future Corrections bill. SF 1678 is the Senate companion.

“Criminal justice is a core responsibility of government,” said Majority Leader Winkler. “Minnesotans deserve strong public safety and private prison companies fail to deliver. House DFLers are working to make sure Minnesotans’ rights are protected ahead of corporate profits.”

If enacted, the bill would prohibit the Department of Corrections and county sheriffs from housing inmates in facilities that are not owned and operated by the state, a local unit of government, or a group of local units of government. Continue reading “Private prison ban is heard in Legislature”

Majority Leader Winkler and Senator Latz to discuss legislation banning private prisons

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — House Majority Leader Ryan Winker and state Senator Ron Latz (DFL – St. Louis Park) will hold a press conference at 12:30 PM on Tuesday, February 26 to discuss their legislation to ban private prisons in Minnesota. HF 1237 will be heard in the House Corrections Division at 8:00 AM Tuesday morning.

Who: Majority Leader Winkler, Sen. Ron Latz, AFSCME Council 5 Associate Director Tim Henderson, correctional officers

What: Press conference on legislation banning private prisons

When: 12:30 PM, Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Where: Minnesota State Capitol Press Conference Room B971; 75 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55155

Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: February 14, 2019

 

Responding to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Comments

As many of you may know, Rep. Ilhan Omar recently tweeted anti-Semitic tropes. Please read my statement below and click the number of links to the media coverage if you’d like to know more.

Unfortunately, Rep. Ilhan Omar has once again made clearly anti-Semitic public statements. While I was prepared to give her an opportunity to assuage my doubts, instead she has reinforced them. She cannot constantly make statements that suggest she was “ignorant” of the anti-Semitic implications of what she says or publishes, as she has been educated by myself and others on numerous occasions. I condemn her recent tweets in the strongest terms and call upon her to refrain from making future such comments. In the long term, maybe Rep. Omar should take the time to educate herself on the history of world anti-Semitism and its horrifying consequences rather than promoting. Continue reading “Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: February 14, 2019”

Sen. Latz & Rep. Stephenson renew efforts to protect net neutrality for Minnesotans

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – On Wednesday afternoon, Senator Ron Latz (DFL-St. Louis Park), Representative Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids) and legislators will hold a press conference to announce their commitment to protecting Minnesota consumers in response to the 2017 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reversal of net neutrality.

The House Commerce Committee will have a public hearing on HF 136, which requires companies doing business in the state or selling services as a vendor of the state of Minnesota to comply with common sense net neutrality principles.

 

WHAT: Press conference to announce renewed efforts to advance Net Neutrality

WHO: Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids) and Senator Ron Latz (DFL- St. Louis Park), legislators

WHERE: Room B971, Minnesota State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, 55155

WHEN: Wednesday, February 13, 2019, 1:00 p.m.

Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: February 4, 2019

CAPITOL UPDATE FEBRUARY 4

It’s been more than four weeks and the 2019 legislative session is in full swing. After last year’s session ended unceremoniously, we’ve hit the ground running by renewing efforts to pass a number of bills leftover from 2018. Additionally, I’ve supplemented those bill re-introductions with new agenda items that have arisen since last May. As always, it’s difficult to forecast the many issues that may surface in the coming months and it must be the Legislature’s goal to address those issues head-on. Last year the Legislature was tasked with redefining the state’s tax structure after the federal government overhauled its system of taxation. Although it is unlikely the federal government will assign our state such an alike responsibility this session, it must remain lawmakers’ top priority to find reasonable solutions to those issues as the country’s only state with a divided legislature.

You can watch my first video update of the session below. If you have any questions, please call my office at 651-297-8065 or, if you’re on the Capitol complex, stop by room 2215 in the Minnesota Senate Building. Continue reading “Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: February 4, 2019”

Sen. Run Latz (SD46) Update: January 11, 2019

2019 PRE-SESSION CAPITOL UPDATE

Dear Neighbors,

I am honored to continue to serve Senate District 46 for the 91st Session of the Minnesota Legislature. As we turn the calendar year and begin 2019, there remains a lot to accomplish this Spring. Since session ended last May, St. Paul has changed. The 2018 election revised the political dynamic in the House of Representatives and brought in Congressman Tim Walz as the state’s newest governor. I am pleased to begin working with the Walz administration and the House as they both appear eager to bring change for the better and a refreshing outlook to Minnesota’s biggest issues.

It was a privilege to work alongside Governor Mark Dayton for eight years. Governor Dayton left behind a legacy that positively impacted many Minnesotans and will continue to do so for years to come. His leadership brought many of Minnesota’s families all-day kindergarten and prekindergarten options. When Governor Dayton began in 2011, Minnesota was facing a state budget deficit of more than $6 billion. Now, 8 years later, Governor Walz will take the oath of office with a state budget projection nearing a $1.54 billion surplus. Although Governor Dayton is leaving the state in solid condition, we must be committed to balancing government spending and tax levels. Minnesota’s finances must be protected from future instability as the state expects a slowdown in economic and state revenue growth.

Continue reading “Sen. Run Latz (SD46) Update: January 11, 2019”