Jon Koznick

Jon Koznick (born July 4, 1972) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2015. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, Koznick represents District 57A in the southern Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the city of Lakeville and parts of Dakota and Scott Counties.

Early life, education, and career
Koznick was born in Colombia. After the death of his mother, he was placed in an orphanage at age five. He was adopted soon after and was brought to the United States.

Koznick attended St. Cloud State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in marketing. He moved to Lakeville, Minnesota in 2001.

Minnesota House of Representatives
Koznick was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2014 and has been reelected every two years since. He first ran after eight-term Republican incumbent Mary Liz Holberg announced she would not seek reelection. When elected, he was one of the first two Latino Republicans to serve in the Minnesota Legislature along with Eric Lucero. During the 2016 Republican Presidential Primary, Koznick joined two dozen state lawmakers in endorsing Florida Senator Marco Rubio. He supported Tim Pawlenty during his 2018 Republican gubernatorial primary campaign.

Koznick serves as the minority lead on the Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee and sits on the State and Local Government Finance and Policy and Taxes Committees. From 2019 to 2020 he served as an assistant minority leader for the House Republican Caucus.

Transportation
Koznick has opposed legislation to raise the state's gas tax. He sponsored legislation that would disband the Counties Transit Improvement Board, a public body that pools resources to pay for transit lines, a proposal opposed by Governor Mark Dayton. Koznick authored a bill that would close the Northstar Commuter Rail line, which runs from Big Lake to Minneapolis, citing low ridership numbers. He opposed funding for predevelopment of a land bridge over the I-94 highway in Saint Paul.

Koznick signed on to a letter calling for reforms to the Metropolitan Council, a regional planning agency, and criticizing their handling of the Southwest light rail project. He served on a committee on the Metropolitan Council's Structure and Service, and called for more accountability for the council. He briefly served as chair of the Legislative Commission on Metropolitan Government, and later resigned after a procedural fight between DFL and Republican members of the commission.

Koznick opposed reducing penalties for fare evasions in the Metro Transit system, and authored a bill to establish a rider code of conduct and increase police presence on transit. He also worked on bipartisan legislation to create transit ambassadors, and favored increased monitoring of trains and stations.

Other political positions
Koznick has co-sponsored legislation to toughen enforcement of existing gun laws. He coauthored legislation attempting to recruit more teachers of color into Minnesota schools, as well as a bill that would propose a constitutional amendment to establish a fundamental right to quality public education in the state. Koznick opposed the creation of a fifth-income tier on the highest earners in Minnesota, saying it would lead to businesses leaving the state.

In 2020 while serving as an assistant majority leader, Koznick accidentally sent an email to all representatives, instead of only Republican members, telling his colleagues to "“Stay on message if you speak today, COVID issues are not our winning message. PUBLIC SAFETY is our ticket to the majority, let’s win with that”.

Koznick supported Governor Tim Walz' proposal to increase small business assistance, but opposed the governor's calls for statewide paid leave. He has supported increasing funding to the International Institute of Minnesota, a nonprofit that provides job training and English classes to new immigrants and refugees. He sponsored legislation that would pay to improve the Lakeville Airlake Industrial Park to allow them to store unused rail cars.

Liquor laws
Koznick has supported so-called "growler laws" which would allow breweries to sell cans and to-go growlers from brewery taprooms and restaurants. He has also authored legislation to allow convience stores to sell full-strength beer, instead of the 3.2 percent limit in current state law. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Koznick sponsored legislation to allow restaurants to sell beer and wine with take-out orders, but opposed extending the provision to cover cocktails and spirits.

Personal life
Koznick is married to his wife, Patty. They have two children and reside in Lakeville, Minnesota.