Politics & Government

Woodbury Family Recognized For Tyler's Law

About 30 people packed the governor's office for a bill-signing ceremony on Tuesday.

If one person’s life is saved because of , the effort was worth it.

That’s according Woodbury resident Jeff Lavers, whose son Tyler died of carbon monoxide poisoning in December 2010.

Lawmakers, friends, family and a handful of Tyler’s schoolmates were at the Capitol on Tuesday for a signing ceremony for , which will require driver’s education courses to discuss the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and place a question on permit tests.

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For Jeff, there were mixed emotions as the family saw its work to pass this bill this session come to fruition. While he appreciated the help the Lavers family received from legislators and was pleased to see the bill become law, it still comes against the backdrop of “an unspeakable tragedy,” Jeff said.

Rep. Andrea Kieffer, the chief author of the bill in the House, lauded Kelly Lavers for her dedication to the political process and her work to enlist the community’s help to contact senators and representatives about the bill.

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 “That really makes a difference,” Kieffer said. “It’s one of my highlights this year, even though it was for a sad reason. I’m happy for the family.”

About 30 people packed the office of Gov. Mark Dayton, who acknowledged how difficult it was for the family to testify for a bill that was sparked by their son’s death.

“It takes incredible courage,” Dayton said.

Sen. Ted Lillie, who , said the family took a personal tragedy and turned it into a “gift for Minnesotans.”

“This is one of those cases where you have a small bill that has a big impact,” he said.

There were others at the event Tuesday who have also lost family members to carbon monoxide poisoning, Lillie said.

“It isn’t just this family—a lot of families have been impacted by this,” he said.

During a lighter moment Tuesday, Dayton told the assemblage that there were more people in his office than for any other bill-signing ceremony he’s conducted.

Quipped Jeff: “I hope we haven’t broken a rule or anything.”


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