Lohmer bill takes aim at Dayton order

• Kathy Lohmer

A happy Kathy Lohmer talks with supporters Tuesday as election returns put her on top in her House District 56A rematch with Rep. Julie Bunn. Lohmer won with about 49.7 percent of the vote, according to unofficial vote results. Scott Wente photo.

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An area legislator has crafted legislation in response to Gov. Mark Dayton’s call for a vote that could unionize Minnesota’s state-subsidized child-care providers.

Rep. Kathy Lohmer, R-Lake Elmo, authored a bill that would ensure child-care assistance money is applied to the care of children – rather than going toward unions.

“It is unnerving to think tax dollars we provide to care for our children could be siphoned by unions,” Lohmer said in a news release. “My bill simply mimics federal law and keeps the money where it is supposed to be, supporting care for kids.”

Sen. Ted Lillie, R-Lake Elmo, has authored a companion bill in the Senate.

"Our bill simply protects money meant for our kids and keeps it out of union hands," he said in a separate news release.

Last week Dayton issued an executive order calling for a vote among child-care providers that could unionize the group. Immediately after Dayton’s announcement, a pair of Senate Republicans challenged the legality of a governor making such a decision and promised they would take him to court.

Lohmer’s bill creates what she says establishes a layer of protection to “maintain the integrity of Child Care Assistance Program.”

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