SD46 3 , CD3 DFL

Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: January 8, 2021

Dear Neighbor,

On Tuesday, January 5, 2021 I was sworn in to serve another term representing SD46 in the State Senate. It continues to be an honor and privilege to serve the communities of St. Louis Park, Plymouth, Hopkins, Medicine Lake, and Golden Valley. I will serve on the Judiciary and Public Safety Policy and Finance Committee (where I am the DFL ranking member) as well as the Civil Law and Data Practices Policy Committee.

There are many pressing issues to be addressed in our state. The continued effort to contain and slow the spread of COVID-19, the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, and creating and passing a two-year balanced budget, are several major tasks on our legislative agenda. In the coming weeks, I will be sharing a newsletter more closely focusing upon my work and the work of the legislature.

However, this would be an incomplete letter without addressing the insurgency in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. Armed individuals spurred on by the President’s rhetoric and total disregard for the Constitution and our duly elected government violently breached the United States Capitol. This was an attempted coup – shall I say insurrection, sedition, treason – by those who have deeply bought in to the repeatedly disproven claims that the election results in President-elect Joe Biden’s favor are fraudulent. Four years of inflammatory, conspiratorial and violence-encouraging messages from the White House – and their repetition and amplification by some political leadership at the state and national levels – have led to this and I fear this may be the beginning of repeated, coordinated actions against government. It is incumbent upon leaders across the nation to speak out in condemnation of this and to continue the difficult work of supporting and defending the U.S. Constitution in the face of domestic terrorists.

Statement from Speaker Hortman and Majority Leader Winkler on November Economic Forecast

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Today, Minnesota Management and Budget released the November Economic Forecast, showing a projected $641 million surplus in the current biennium and a $1.273 billion shortfall in the FY 22-23 biennium. The forecast includes inflation on the revenue side and excludes it on the spending side in several key areas. Inflation is estimated to be $1.3 billion in the next biennium, which could roughly double the budget shortfall. Minnesota currently has $350 million in the state’s cash flow account and $2.377 billion in the budget reserves.

Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Majority Leader Ryan Winkler released the following statements:

“This is positive news, but we have a long way to go to fully recover from COVID-19,” said Speaker Hortman. “We need to invest in the areas that will help Minnesotans make it through this crisis and thrive after it, including protecting their health and economic security. This forecast allows us to provide some assistance to those struggling the most during this difficult time, and then focus on rebuilding Minnesota’s economy in the 2021 Legislative Session. House DFLers are committed to building a Minnesota that works better for everyone.”

“Today’s forecast is further evidence that Minnesota has the resources to invest in our people and provide economic opportunity for everyone. We only need the will to act,” said Majority Leader Winkler. “We need to focus our efforts to help working families, small businesses, and Minnesotans hit the hardest by this pandemic — not corporations, the wealthy, and well-connected who are still doing very well. The relief bill that we presented last week puts working families first, strengthening unemployment insurance and providing support for small businesses. The question now is whether the Republican Senate majority agrees.”

Minnesota House approves major jobs legislation to jumpstart economy

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — With 100 votes, Minnesota House lawmakers today approved legislation that will create and protect tens of thousands of jobs. The nearly $2 billion package would be a major boon to Minnesota’s economy at a time when the unemployment rate is stuck at historically high levels due to the pandemic. House Republicans previously blocked passage of similar jobs bills in May and July.

“We listened to Minnesotans who have been asking for our help,” said House Capital Investment Chair Mary Murphy (DFL-Hermantown). “This economic stimulus bill connects Minnesotans to other Minnesotans, addresses critical public infrastructure needs across the state, and will create thousands of jobs at a time when they are sorely needed. I am grateful to everyone who contributed to this important jobs and local projects and economic development package.”

According to the most recent data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate stands at 7.9% and job gains were lower than expected in September. The US economy is still 11 million jobs short of pre-pandemic levels.

Senate DFL response to the Senate Republican Report on the Civil Unrest in Minnesota

by Senator Ron Latz

October 13, 2020

Today, the Senate Republicans published their Review of Lawlessness and Government Responses to Minnesota’s 2020 Riots report based on the hearings that they held over the summer on the civil unrest in the state.

The report was given to the members of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee and the Transportation Committee just one hour to review before the Senate Republicans released it to the public.

Senator Ron Latz (DFL-Saint Louis Park), Senate DFL lead on the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, and Senator Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis), Senate DFL lead on the Transportation Committee, released the following statement in response:

“As the DFL leads for these committees, we should have been given longer than an hour to review this 50-page report before it was published to the public. Once again, the Senate majority’s lack of transparency and gross miscalculation of the moment is astounding.

QAnon on the ballot: Six GOP-endorsed Minnesota candidates back conspiracy theory

The theory includes false claims that Satanists and pedophiles run the government and that COVID-19 is part of a plot to steal the election.

At least a half-dozen Minnesota Republicans running for state legislative seats in November have promoted the sprawling, false QAnon conspiracy that claims Satanists and pedophiles run the government and that COVID-19 is part of a plot to steal the election.

Once a fringe fiction, QAnon is quickly seeping into mainstream Republican politics as scores of GOP candidates across the country express support for it. Among them are six candidates endorsed by the Minnesota Republican Party for state House and Senate seats from the Iron Range to the metro suburbs.

In some cases, Minnesota candidates have used official social media pages for their campaigns to post slogans in support of QAnon, which the FBI has warned is a conspiracy theory that could inspire domestic terrorism or violence. Some posts include references to a “Great Awakening” or “The Storm,” a prophesied reckoning in which elected officials, journalists and other members of “the Deep State” are rounded up for imprisonment or execution. Continue reading.

ICYMI: Six GOP-endorsed Minnesota candidates back conspiracy theory

New reporting from the Star Tribune has revealed the extent to which the QAnon conspiracy theory has permeated the Republican Party of Minnesota. At least six Minnesota Republican Party-endorsed candidates have professed belief in the deranged conspiracy cult.

The Star Tribune: QAnon on the ballot: Six GOP-endorsed Minnesota candidates back conspiracy theory

By Stephen Montemayor

At least a half-dozen Minnesota Republicans running for state legislative seats in November have promoted the sprawling QAnon conspiracy theory that includes false claims that Satanists and pedophiles run the government and that COVID-19 is part of a plot to steal the election.

Once dismissed as a fringe movement, QAnon is quickly seeping into mainstream Republican politics as scores of GOP candidates across the country express support for its ideas. Among them are six candidates endorsed by the Minnesota Republican Party for state House and Senate seats from the Iron Range to the metro suburbs.

Statements from Speaker Hortman and Majority Leader Winkler on Republican Senate removing Commerce Commissioner Steve Kelley

SAIN PAUL, MINNESOTA — Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler released the following statements on the Republican Senate removing Commerce Commissioner Steve Kelley.

“Governor Walz and his administration are trying to combat a global pandemic and instead of working with him, Senate Republicans are actively making it harder to fight this virus,” said Speaker Hortman. “It’s irresponsible for Republicans to continue to target individuals over a political disagreement with the Governor.”

“Sabotaging government agencies during a pandemic is as dangerous as it is shameless,” said House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “The GOP should be using this special session to work on bipartisan COVID relief for Minnesota families and businesses – not to brag about executing hostages and undermining public health. This reckless vote is proof that the Republican majority is unfit to lead the Senate during the greatest crisis of our lifetimes.”

Minnesota House Passes Police Accountability Act

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota House approved the Minnesota Police Accountability Act. The legislation, authored by members of the People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus, contains strong police accountability reforms and measures to ensure racial justice.

“Today, we’re beginning to make the overdue changes Minnesotans have been demanding to help ensure no more lives are lost due to police violence,” said Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – Saint Paul), bill author and chair of the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Division. “By passing this bill into law, we’re taking the first steps toward major changes to hold police officers accountable for harmful acts, and we are committed to continuing our work for safer communities. It wasn’t safe for George Floyd or for Philando Castile, and they deserved a better way to police that builds community.” Continue reading “Minnesota House Passes Police Accountability Act”

Minnesota House Declares Racism a Statewide Public Health Crisis

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA— The Minnesota House of Representatives today voted to declare racism a public health crisis.

According to the official resolution voted upon today, the declaration applies to the entire state and affirms that the Minnesota House will be an active participant in the dismantling of racism. It creates a House Select Committee on Minnesota’s response tasked with analyzing legislative work through an intersectional race equity lens.

“This is about advancing and promoting equitable opportunity across all of our systems, in the areas of health, education, housing, public safety, and economic and workforce development,” said Rep. Ruth Richardson (DFL-Mendota Heights), chief author of the resolution. “The COVID-19 pandemic and senseless murder of George Floyd have shined a light on the historical and contemporary injustices that are still embedded in our society.” Continue reading “Minnesota House Declares Racism a Statewide Public Health Crisis”

Minnesota House Advances Resolution Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — A Minnesota House of Representatives committee yesterday advanced a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis, with a final vote on the House floor likely to occur Monday, July 20. Click here to download a copy.

Authored by Rep. Ruth Richardson (DFL-Mendota Heights), the declaration applies to the entire state and affirms that the Minnesota House will be an active participant in the dismantling of racism. It creates a House Select Committee on Minnesota’s response tasked with analyzing legislative work through an intersectional race equity lens.

“Black, Indigenous, and people of color have known for generations that the systems in this country were designed to exclude them,” said Rep. Richardson. “The devastation we are seeing in our communities today is the result of those systems playing out for hundreds of years.”

The resolution states that racism is embedded in the foundation of America, beginning with chattel slavery in 1619, and that much of the Black experience in America has been endured under slavery and Jim Crow, which created preferential opportunities for white people while subjecting people of color to hardships and disadvantages in every area of life.

“The Minnesota House as an institution can and should play an active role in dismantling systems that have denied dignity, respect, and compassion to so many,” said House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “Our nation is facing a historic moment and the Minnesota House plans to be on the side of justice and human rights.”

Video of today’s Rules Committee discussion of the resolution will soon be available here.

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