Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The 2021 legislative session began this week and there is much work to accomplish in the next five months! I’m truly humbled and honored to continue serving and fighting for the values and priorities of our great community!
Rep. Lucero placed his hand on the Bible as he was administered the oath of office Tuesday this week for the Minnesota House of Representatives swearing in ceremony at the Capitol in St. Paul to begin the 92nd Legislature. Rep. Lucero is beginning his fourth term as State Representative.
SESSION PRIORITIES
Among the top feedback I continue to receive from all around our community is the demand to end Gov. Walz continued abuse of emergency powers, unilateral decision making, and one-size-fits-all mandates. We absolutely must return to the constitutional requirement of Separation of Powers where the Legislative Branch makes law and policy.
Also among the top feedback I continue to receive is on the topics of fully reopening schools and youth sports. Our children are suffering deeply from distancing learning and limited sports including depression, mood swings, anxiety, social isolation, and more. School age children are in important stages of their social development and I believe the social cost of young people’s being deprived of social interaction for approaching a year now will be incalculable. I’m absolutely committed to returning meaning the word "independent" in Independent School District (ISD) because I firmly believe returning power to local school boards with the local control authority to fully and safely reopen K-12 schools and youth sports is in everybody’s best interest.
Other areas I will be focused on this session include fighting for election integrity, Second Amendment rights, the right to life of those still in the womb, reducing the crushing cost of health care through positive free-market reforms, closing the funding inequity gap for students in our great schools, and resolving the budget deficit without raising taxes.
It’s my honor to have been appointed to serve on the following three committees for the next two-year biennium:
- Commerce Finance & Policy
- Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance & Policy
- Capital Investment
Look for more news from those committees as the session progresses.
Rep. Lucero met with Christine this week so she could drop off supporting material for legislation relating to stopping social media censorship and stopping human trafficking & child exploitation.
Rep. Lucero and Rep. Drazkowski were among the speakers Wednesday this week at a Capitol rally fighting for election integrity.
GOVERNOR MODERATELY LOOSENS RESTRICTIONS
Gov. Tim Walz this week moderately loosened the heavy-handed, unilateral mandates he had imposed on Minnesotans. The below rule changes go into effect this coming Sunday evening January 10th at 11:59 PM:
- Indoor dining at bars and restaurants can open at 50 percent capacity, with a maximum of 150 people. Parties of no more than six people must remain six feet from other parties; bar seating is open to parties of two; reservations are required; and establishments must close dine-in service by 10 p.m.
- Gym capacity remains capped at 25 percent but maximum capacity increases to 150 and classes can increase to 25 people, assuming distancing can be observed. Machines and people must maintain 9 feet of distance. Face coverings are required.
- Outdoor events and entertainment continue at 25 percent capacity, but maximum capacity increases to 250 people. Social distancing is required.
- Indoor events and entertainment – like bowling alleys, movie theaters, and museums – may open at 25 percent, with no more than 150 people in each area of the venue. Face coverings are required, and they may not offer food service after 10 p.m.
- Youth and adult organized sports have resumed practice as of January 4 and games resume January 14 with spectators, following the appropriate capacity limits for indoor or outdoor venues. Inter-region tournaments and out of state play are discouraged.
- Pools opened on January 4 for some activity and may now open, like gyms, at 25 percent capacity.
- Wedding receptions and other private parties may resume with limits. If food and drink are served at the event, then they are limited to two households or 10 people indoors and 3 households or 15 people outdoors. If there is no food or drink, they are covered by event venue guidelines. Any related ceremony – like a wedding or funeral ceremony – is guided by rules for ceremonies and places of worship.
- Places of worship remain open at 50% capacity but without an overall maximum capacity.”
While even the slightest re-opening of our state can be deemed “progress” when compared with the unnecessary burdens the governor has levied on our state, this is nowhere near enough movement toward fully and safely re-opening our state, particularly in regard to people’s ability to work and earn a living. It is long past time to end the governor’s emergency powers and restore balance at the Capitol, allowing 134 legislators to participate in the decision-making process instead of living under the unilateral rule of one person as we have done the last 10 months, the longest peacetime emergency declaration in state history.
My colleague State Rep. Shane Mekeland and I recently attempted outdoor dining per Gov. Walz mandate prohibiting indoor service at restaurants and we shared the video of our frosty experience in the middle of a Minnesota winter. The video went viral on social media totaling over 8,000 shares and over half a million views!! Click the above image to check it out.
STAYING IN TOUCH
Each and every day I’m continuously humbled at the opportunity to represent and fight for the values and priorities of our great community!
Please contact me to share any issues, concerns, or feedback you have to assist me best represent you. The best way to reach me is by email at rep.eric.lucero@house.mn or by phone at 651-296-1534.
Sincerely,
Eric Lucero
State Representative District 30B Albertville, Hanover, Otsego, Saint Michael, and the Wright County portion of Dayton
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