Governor Tim Walz to Deliver State of the State Address Tuesday Evening

(KNSI) — Owatonna High School will host Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s 2024 State of the State Address on Tuesday.

The speech will highlight what the state has accomplished in the last year. Since the 2023 address, Minnesota has legalized recreational marijuana, passed sweeping gun control laws, including the red flag law, restricting the use of no-knock warrants, mental health treatments for first responders to get them help before they can apply for disability benefits, veterans funding, and a legislative fix to the education bill passed last session that prevented school resource officers from using certain types of physical holds to restrain an aggressor. Legislators last week also passed and signed off on the framework of a budget.

Walz may also call on lawmakers to pass additional gun control measures, including safe storage laws and requirements to report thefts, and, if the legislature drafts one, call on voters to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.

Yet to be legalized this year is sports betting, though bill sponsor Representative Zach Stephenson says he appears to have found a compromise to appease the tribes, charitable gambling entities, detractors and horse tracks. This session, lawmakers also need to agree on a bonding bill.

This is not the first time Governor Walz has delivered the address at a school. In 2022, Mankato West High School was the setting for it. He gave the speech in his former classroom, where he used to teach social studies.

The speech will begin at 7:00 p.m. on March 26th.

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