During the campaign for Minnesota House District 17A, Tim Miller (R-Prinsburg) frequently noted that he hadn't read many new laws, even though he had his doubts about them.
The Women's Economic Security Act (WESA)? Didn't need to read it, as he said in a debate on Pioneer Public Television:
So that's even better that we're setting out for than for your, ah, your [spins finger] Economic Progress Bill or whatever it is.
I apologize that I have not read all of your bills. I have a job. I need to go out there and work. It's easy when you're in the legislature to stay on top of all the intricacies of this. I did not realize that this was going to be a test on the Andrew Falk bill writing academy.
As we noted yesterday in Tim Miller hoping God will provide him a new job, the West Central Tribune is reporting:
Miller said he had an agreement with his employer, Habitat for Humanity of West Central Minnesota, that if he won the election that he would resign his position because the job requires a full-time presence. . . .
It's unfortunate that Miller's job was so back-breaking that he couldn't find time to read bills and statutes, whether or not they were authored by Andrew Falk.
Having the spare time to read about laws and the office he was seeking might have helped Miller with his citizen legislator dilemma.
After we posted yesterday, we recalled that there is provision in Minnesota law to assist citizen legislators serve and keep their jobs. It wasn't hard to find mention of the measure. We found it on the Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature webpage under "Do Representatives and Senators receive special rights because of their office?":
Yes, they do have some special rights, mostly having to do with employment issues. In Minnesota, members of the Legislature are "citizen legislators" and most have jobs outside the Legislature. For example, a member of the Legislature who is employed in the private sector must be allowed to resume his or her old job or a position of similar seniority, pay, and status if he or she reapplies within 30 days after the end of the session. A member cannot be discharged because of time spent in legislative service, nor can they be denied their seniority or benefits.
In addition, no employer can discharge a member of the Legislature in retaliation for statements made or beliefs held in his or her capacity as a legislator. . . .
Perhaps Miller could have read and applied the law, then not wasted God's time on conducting a job search for him. Heavens knows that He has his hands full these days, though Jesus did tell us that He sees every little sparrow fall.
If this is the situation that the freshman lawmaker's gotten himself into, those of us who are Miller's constituents should hope that he's able to conduct better due diligence before he co-sponsors bills related to jobs and workforce development for the rest of us
After all, he'll be serving on the Greater Minnesota economic and workforce development policy committee, so we can only hope he doesn't sign away our opportunities the way he cast aside his own job.
Photo: Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg. Via his personal Facebook page.
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