Legislative News
April 16, 2024
House District 43B is currently represented by Mike Freiberg. He is currently the Committee Chair of the Elections Finance and Policy Committee, and is seated on the State and Local Government Finance and Policy Committee, Ways and Means Committee and Commerce Finance and Policy Committee. This document reviews bills currently before the legislature that he has authored.
- HF1930: End of Life Option for Terminally Ill Adults. This bill goes into great detail on setting up procedures for the government to legally kill individuals of age 18 years or older through the medical and pharmaceutical professions. I am opposed to this bill and believe that we should ask the medical profession to keep the Hippocratic Oath: “I will follow the method of treatment which according to my ability and judgement, I consider for the benefit of my patient and abstain from whatever is harmful or mischievous. I will neither prescribe nor administer a lethal dose of medicine to any patient even if asked, nor counsel any such thing. I will hold the utmost respect for every human life from fertilization to natural death.”
- HF1801: A house resolution urging Congress to pass federal legislation granting statehood to the people of Washington, D.C.
- HF0500: Federal Standard Time year-round beginning in 2024 and expiring upon enactment of federal law authorizing states to recognize advanced standard time year-round.
- HF4598: Independent Redistricting Commission Established, prohibiting any input from legislators. This would skew redistricting in the favor of the DFL forever.
- HF4683: Blue Line light rail funding. This would not be necessary if the Blue Line is rightfully cancelled in favor of increased bussing.
- HF4394: Gender Inclusion education policy required. Requires schools to provide facilities based on the student’s gender preference and also intermural and competitive athletics. This solidifies the gender fluidity ideology over basic biological facts and requires the policy to be widely posted throughout school buildings.
- HF4373: Book banning prohibited. Allows salacious printed material in libraries.
- HF4273: Rainbow flag bans prohibited.
- HF4182: Equal Access to Broadband Act established and broadband services and broadband infrastructure governing provisions modified. This bill includes provisions that are prohibited by the federal Communications Act and the FCC’s 2018 State and Local Order on small cell deployment. The bill allows localities to charge a franchise fee to raise revenues, defray expenses or both and deletes the requirement that fees on telecommunication users for use of the ROW be cost-based. This provision is prohibited by Section 253 per the FCC’s 2018 State/Local Order, which the Ninth Circuit upheld. The bill allows franchise fees to be based on the broadband provider’s gross or net revenues. This provision violates the FCC 2018 State/Local Order’s requirement that any fees be cost-based. In addition several courts have found that revenue-based fees violate Section 253. Finally the bill allows localities to prevent a provider from offering service without first obtaining a franchise. This could violate Section 332 of the federal Communications Act. Minnesota is slated to receive $650 million in federal funding for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. This law puts that funding at risk and is likely to slow or prevent access to broadband in Minnesota.
- HF3557: Election administration provisions modified. Allows registration of 16 year olds.
- HF3527: Minnesota Voting Rights Act. This document defines protected classes based on skin color, language minority group or Indian Tribe affiliation. A person who lost an election could sue for up to $30,000 for renumeration.
- HF3459: Civil Immigration Enforcement; Activities Prohibited, Policies Required. This bill is the start of a Sanctuary State bill. It prohibits federal officials from enforcing federal immigration laws in Minnesota.
- HF3329: Sales Tax rate raised by 3/8 of 1 percent.
- HF3276: Ranked Choice Voting. This bill starts ranked choice voting on Jan. 1, 2025 for local elections. Expect state wide ranked choice voting by 2026. This ends one man/woman one vote for Minnesota. It greatly favors the DFL in voting.
- HF2798: Health care guaranteed to be available and affordable to every Minnesotan. This bill includes long-term care facilities. It replaces private health plans with a state of Minnesota bureaucracy that will be huge. It is the start of socialized medicine for Minnesota. Our tax base would need to be greatly increased.
- HF2669: Conversion of human remains to organic waste. The Death fixation of the DFL continues. It is viewed as sacrilegious by the church.
- HF2607: Health plans clarified to require coverage of gender-affirming care. Declares mutilation of a person’s genitals and treatment with puberty blocking drugs as being medically necessary care.
- HF1942: Mail balloting authorized for any town or city with fewer than 400 registered voters. Allows a municipality to provide mail in voting for any precinct so designated to any location specified by the county auditor or municipal clerk.
- HF1577, HF1576: Blue Line light rail funding provided and money appropriated. This is a waste.
- HF1276: Sale of dogs and cats at pet shops prohibited.
- HF1198: Child care assistance expanded. 50% increase in rates provided by Minnesota Statues 2022, section 256B.0616. Minnesota is at the top or near the top for welfare provided to it’s citizens. The welfare bill percent of state expenditures is reaching the percentage it spends on education.
- HF1170: Medical assistance payment rates to abortion and abortion-related services increased.
- HF1064: Citizens United. This bill is a resolution asking Congress to overturn the United States Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC. This is a DFL priority.
- HF 0913: Automatic voter registration. Provides automatic voter registration when renewing a driver’s license or applying for medical assistance under chapter 256B or Minnesota Care under chapter 256L. This should increase the DFL voter base.
- HF 0715: Gender-affirming health care. This law allows an out-of-state child to receive genital mutilation or puberty blockers even if it is illegal in the state of residence.
- HF0654: Golden Valley, local sales tax and use imposition authorized. This bill permits Golden Valley to charge an additional ¾ of 1 percent sales tax within its jurisdiction.
- HF0642: Agreement among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote enacted. This is the end of the Electoral College.
- HF0275: Religious Freedom Day established, January 16. This day is honored by the party in power except when the topic is an ideology that cannot be challenged by fact or contrary position.
- HF0274: Commission created to redesign the state flag of Minnesota. We owe the exemplary design of the new state flag to Mike Frieberg. I did purchase two of the current state flags for display on my home.
- HF0197: A resolution to congress to determine that the requirements have been met to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, despite not receiving ratification by the required deadline.
- HF0173: Equality under the law provided, and constitutional amendment proposed. It adds sexual orientation and gender identity to the definition of a protected class.
- HF0016: Conversion Therapy prohibited for children and vulnerable adults, medical assistance coverage prohibited, and misrepresentation of conversion therapy services or products prohibited. The state prefers its children to be made medically sterile over gentle coaxing back to normalcy.
My focus as a legislator will be to support laws that are not pandering to special interests or government employees, but are beneficial to the population of Minnesota as a whole. Real election changes would allow voter ID and only absentee ballots for those who are not able to come to the polls. If you are able to support my candidacy please go to my website:
If you are able to support my candidacy, please go to the button above on this website and make a donation. I am down to needing ten more contributions of $50.00 to qualify for the public subsidy and be able to get lawn signs and literature out to HD43B.
Steve Merriman
Endorsed Republican Candidate