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Good morning,
As we wrap up another busy week at the Capitol, I want to take a moment to update you on the latest happenings. From important committee hearings to meetings with constituents and key legislative discussions, there’s a lot going on. A lot came out in the news this week, which I will highlight, and we have a big week ahead next week.
HF12, Riley Gaines, and Pam Bondi
As I have covered for the past several weeks, there has been an ongoing fight for female athletes in Minnesota. President Trump issued an Executive Order banning males from participating in female sports, which the MSHSL decided to ignore and continue to let boys participate. Myself and House Republicans sent a letter to the MSHSL and have gotten the attention of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is diligently fighting with us. AG Bondi recently sent a letter to MN AG Keith Ellison and MSHSL Executive Director Erich Martens, condemning their actions and outlining potential consequences for ignoring the Executive Order.
 I am grateful to Trump, Bondi, and the others that are helping us fight on the federal level. This issue has been going on for far too long, with a request for investigation from the UMLC dating back to the spring of 2023. Our girls deserve to be able to play sports in a fair and safe environment, without the threat of facing men on the field or in the locker room. We are set to hear HF12, the Preserving Girls Sports Act, on the House floor on Monday afternoon. At 11am on Monday, we are hosting a rally with Riley Gaines, the 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer and girls sports advocate, alongside other supporters of the bill. This bill is a critical piece of legislation to protect female athletes in Minnesota and I look forward to supporting it.
HF435
On the same topic of males and females, I introduced HF435 this week. This bill provides protection to female inmates in the all female corrections facility in Shakopee by only allowing female inmates to be housed there. Since a lawsuit a few years ago, male inmates identifying as females have been allowed to transfer to this facility in Shakopee, which puts biological female inmates at risk of assault and abuse. The female inmates at Shakopee need our protection and this bill will give them that. We must not allow men to be housed with these women and put females in harms way.
This bill was heard in Public Safety Committee. You can find the hearing in 2 parts: part 1 and part 2. The bill discussion is over an hour long, which I encourage you to listen to, but here is my bill introduction with a powerful testifier and then conversation about an amendment among legislators.
Inappropriate State Training and Walz's Comments
Recently, Minnesota State employees had to do leadership training that was not about leadership, but actually about how the Republican party is "overtly White supremacist." This came around the same time that Governor Tim Walz spoke to the MN Nurses Association and called Republicans "fascists" and "Nazis." The State of Minnesota was confronted about the mandatory training, which they confirmed happened. This training and the Governor's comments are each completely inappropriate and should be reprimanded.
2SLGBTQIA+ Teaching Training
Teachers across the state have come forth and shared a recent training that they had to participate in, on the topic of 2SLGBTQIA+ awareness in the form of terms and definitions. In the photo below you can see the chart with the terms and definitions that teachers across the state were required to learn about. Taxpayer dollars funded this training.
 Non-Binary Pronouns In the Third Grade Classroom
Starting next school year, the Minnesota Department of Education's standards for third graders will include teaching them how to use non-binary pronouns, and build on these "skills" in later years. At a time when our students are struggling in basic subjects such as math, reading, and writing, this should be the furthest concern from our minds. Even if students were performing well, there is absolutely no need for 3rd graders to be indoctrinated with this kind of teaching at school. Below is a photo of what would be considered "appropriate third-grade curriculum," click on the picture to see more.
Please Contact Me
If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me at either 651-296-3201 or rep.mary.franson@house.mn.gov I would love to hear from you.
It’s an honor to represent the best!
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