Roger Chamberlain


Roger C. Chamberlain is a Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represents District 38, which includes portions of Anoka, Ramsey, and Washington counties in the northeastern Twin Cities metropolitan area. He is a financial advisor for Thrivent Financial.

Early life, education, and career

Chamberlain attended Normandale Community College in Bloomington, receiving his A.A.S. in law enforcement. He later earned his B.S. in accounting from Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul. He also served in the United States Navy and in the United States Army National Guard.

Minnesota Senate

Chamberlain was first elected in 2010 and was re-elected in 2012 and 2016.

Political Positions

Abortion
Chamberlain is an ardent opponent of abortion. In 2016, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life gave Chamberlain a 100% voting record.
In January 2016, Chamberlain spoke at the annual rally against abortion rights on the state capitol steps. According to a newspaper report of the rally, "Sen. Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes, said rallies like Friday's have played a role, in addition to nonprofits, in helping women when they experience unintended pregnancies. "Rallies and events like this bring attention to the issue," Chamberlain said. "It's really good news when the number of abortions go down." "
Gov. Dayton's 'Plain Language Initiative'
In 2014, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton issued a "Plain Language Initiative" which stated, "Plain Language initiative directs all state agencies to use commonly understood language, write in clear and complete sentences, and reduce the use of jargon and acronyms that make state government nearly impossible to understand."
Senator Chamberlain opposed Governor Dayton's Plain English Plan and mocked it in a YouTube video, which has since been deleted. Chamberlain said,"Words fail. First, I'm thinking, is this the critical issue of the day? … Are we going to have a whole regulatory structure for 'Plain Language'?"
Voting rights restoration for felons
In 2016, Chamberlain opposed restoring voting rights for felons who have completed their terms. In May 2016, he said, ""There were some concerns, I heard from some constituents who were upset about it," he said. "For the sake of avoiding more arguments and discontent, it was easier to pull off for now and learn a little bit more about it."