The following article by Patty Dexter was posted on the Eden Prairie News website May 29, 2018:
The 2018 legislative session ended on Sunday, May 20.
The newspaper contacted Rep. Laurie Pryor for a Q&A reviewing the session
What are your thoughts about how this year’s legislative session went?
While the legislative session had some bright spots, it ended with many missed opportunities. State conformity to the recent federal tax changes should have been done in bipartisan fashion, but legislative leaders insisted on playing politics. We had an opportunity to address our persistent opioid crisis, but big pharma was able to deflect responsibility to pay for prevention strategies. Our seniors and vulnerable adults deserve greater protections in care facilities, but all that was ultimately considered were some watered-down policies and a task force.
What is included in this year’s bonding bill that will affect Eden Prairie residents?
Many of young people in our community aspire to attend our excellent higher education institutions, and among the largest investments in the bonding bill were at both the University of Minnesota system, receiving a total of $79.4 million, and the Minnesota State system receiving $129 million toward construction, updates and renovations. This includes $1.26 million for roof replacement at Hennepin Tech. Projects like these may not grab headlines, but preserving our important assets is cheaper in the long run than letting them become obsolete. While we have to do more to protect our kids at school, $25 million was included for school safety grants to help with security updates. Ten million dollars was included for improvements at metro area parks and trails. I was also pleased that $18 million was included for a new Second Harvest Heartland headquarters to boost their efforts to end hunger in our region.
The Eden Prairie City Council plans to send a letter to legislators asking them to address gun violence while protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners. Do you believe their concerns about gun violence were addressed this legislative session? Would you support legislation to address gun violence?
I share in the disappointment of many Minnesotans who advocated for common-sense reforms to our state’s gun laws that in the end, nothing was done. This effort followed unspeakable tragedies like those in Las Vegas, Parkland and Santa Fe. Many of us were working to pass two completely reasonable measures to end gun violence: expanded criminal background checks and a “red flag” law. While we can’t prevent every tragedy, both of these would save lives. I’m confident that if Minnesotans remain mobilized on this issue, we will eventually see overdue changes over the gun lobby’s powerful, persistent influence.
Why was the leadership uninterested passing the hands-free cellphone bill?
Despite broad, bipartisan support — in fact, very little opposition was heard — no vote was held in the House. Distracted driving jeopardizes the safety of each and every one of us on the road, not to mention pedestrians, utility workers, and others. This is the type of legislation that transcends the partisan divide, and there’s no good excuse for this bill not advancing. The only reason I heard articulated for a lack of a vote was, “It’s not the right time.” So I must ask: Just when is the right time to pass common-sense legislation to save lives?
How do you feel about Gov. Mark Dayton vetoing the tax bill and the spending bill?
It’s deeply regrettable that the session ended without the state conforming to federal changes following the Trump tax bill. This situation was completely avoidable though. While I voted for the tax bill in the final hours of the session, Gov. Dayton had made it clear that school funding was a top priority. Unfortunately, the House majority delivered very little in this regard. While there were positive things in the omnibus budget bill, there has to be a better approach than dropping an almost 1,000-page bill on our desks with just a few hours before a vote as Republican leadership did.