Paul Novotny (born May 26, 1966) is an American politician serving in the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

since 2020. A member of the

Republican Party of Minnesota The Republican Party of Minnesota is the oldest active political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Republican Party’s platform is relatively moderate. The party’s main issues are economic growth, education, healthcare, civi ...

, Novotny represents District 30B in east-central

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, which includes the cities of Elk River and Otsego and parts of Anoka, Sherburne, and

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright is ...

Counties.

Early life, education, and career

Novotny grew up on a dairy farm in

Elk River, Minnesota Elk River is a city in Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States, approximately 34 miles northwest of Minneapolis. It is situated at the confluence of the Mississippi and Elk Rivers. The population was 25,835 at the 2020 census, making Elk Ri ...

, and graduated from Elk River High School. He graduated from

North Hennepin Community College North Hennepin Community College (NHCC) is a public community college in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. It was founded in 1966 and is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. History The college was founded in 1966 as N ...

with an A.A.S. in law enforcement. Novotny has worked as a police officer in

Princeton, Minnesota Princeton is a city in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, Mille Lacs and Sherburne County, Minnesota, Sherburne counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota, at the junction of the Rum River and its West branch. It is 50 miles north of Minneapolis and 30 m ...

, and was a sergeant for the

Sherburne County Sherburne County is a county in Central Minnesota. At the 2020 census, the population was 97,183. The county seat is Elk River. Sherburne County is included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul- Bloomington, MN- WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hist ...

Sheriff's Office, serving as an investigative sergeant and a firearms instructor over the course of his 30-year career.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Novotny was elected to the

in a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

on February 4, 2020. He won a full term in November

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

and was reelected in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

. Novotny first ran after four-term incumbent Nick Zerwas resigned to spend more time with his family. During the 2021-22 legislative session, Novotny served as an assistant minority leader. He serves as the minority lead on the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee and sits on the Human Services Policy and Ways and Means Committees. Novotny opposes ending qualified immunity for police officers and banning no-knock warrants. He drafted legislation that would require more transparency when third-party organizations post bail for someone. He has argued that bail should be set for violent offenders who pose a threat to society, not nonviolent low-level offenses. Novotny opposed a provision that would give families of those killed by police money for burial costs and trauma services. Novotny supported a DFL bill requiring judges to issue "sign and release" warrants for certain misdemeanor offenses instead of arrest warrants. He co-authored a bill establishing harsher penalties for the sale or possession of fentanyl, and legislation that would create an electronic database to track the sale of used catalytic converters in response to an increase in theft. Novotny spoke against a state office of youth restorative justice because it would increase bureaucracy. Novorny opposed legislation to restore the right to vote to felons while they are on parole, saying it is unfair to the victims of serious crimes such as homicides. He unsuccessfully attempted to amend the bill to require payment of fines before voting rights are restored. Novotny signed on to a letter to the

Board of Commissioners asking it to designate the county a "Second Amendment sanctuary." He has expressed concerns about red flag laws.

Electoral history

Personal life

Novotny lives in

, with his wife, Nicole. They have two children.

References

External links

Official House of Representatives website

Official campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Novotny, Paul 1960s births 21st-century American politicians Living people Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives