Neighbors, The Minnesota House has returned to a 67-67 tie. Last week, Rep. David Gottfried of Roseville was sworn in following a special election, ending about 5 weeks of Republican control over committees. Now, all committees have an equal number of Democrats and Republicans and will alternate which side sets the agenda and holds the gavel. I’m now serving as co-Chair of the Judiciary and Civil Law Committee. With neither party having 68 votes, a bipartisan vote was already required for a bill to pass the House Floor but now votes from both sides will be required for bills to pass out of committee as well. Over the past several weeks Democrats successfully blocked several harmful bills from passing. Bills that loosen gun safety laws, restrict reproductive rights, and weaken the Minnesota Human Rights Act were Republican top priorities. It was disappointing to see House Republicans use their five-week window of control to push partisan legislation that had no chance to become law. Democrats denied quorum at the beginning of session to stop Republicans from playing these games for two years rather than a few weeks. I hope and expect that we will now work together to pass a budget and keep our state working, especially when the Trump administration is ripping apart the social safety net so many Minnesotans rely on. Minnesota’s Budget OutlookRecently, Minnesota Management and Budget released their budget forecast for the next budget cycle. This forecast predicts how much money will be available over the next two years, and that is the period for which we set the budget. We also get a prediction for the two years after that. You may have heard Republicans saying we are facing a budget deficit. That is misleading. The forecast is for a modest surplus over the coming cycle, and it is only after the next two years that a deficit is predicted. Getting a forecast of what might happen 3-4 years from now helps us plan, but there are a lot of unknowns and a lot can happen in 3 years to drastically change the economy. Our top responsibility in the Legislature this year is to pass a balanced state budget and we will, but the chaos, confusion, and cuts from the Trump Administration make economic predictions very uncertain. Although the forecast shows a lower surplus than we had hoped, responsible DFL leadership has built up a rainy-day fund to help Minnesotans through any sudden downturn. Minnesota’s economy is tied to the nation’s economy, which the Trump administration has given over to Elon Musk’s chainsaw, and Minnesotans can no longer count on the federal government to support or stability. I and my Democratic colleagues will do all we can to combat rising prices and protect our economy, but we need our Republican partners in St. Paul and D.C. to join us in standing up to the billionaires who don’t care what happens to anyone but themselves. Community Town HallThank you to everyone who joined us at our recent town hall meetings. Our recent event with Attorney General saw more than 200 community members join us.  Photo by Maya Giron of the Rochester Post Bulletin. Many community members echoed concerns over the chaos happening in D.C., and I share those concerns. In addition to discussions on medical debt and healthcare, we also discussed housing, including resources for tenants.  Last term, DFLers passed a robust package called the Tenant’s Bill of Rights. The Attorney General’s office has a helpful guide to rights and responsibilities of both tenants and landlords that can be accessed here. If you were not able to make it to our recent events, we hope to see you at the next one. We plan to hold another sometime next month. Be sure to keep an eye out here and on Facebook for that announcement. Constituent CornerI recently had the chance to meet with Cradle 2 Career, an organization working to improve educational outcomes for Rochester children and students. Closing disparity gaps and ensuring every child has the tools to learn and thrive is essential to our future as a state. Thank you to everyone who made the trip to Saint Paul. I have lots of constituent meetings coming up, and meeting with people from our community about issues that matter is one of my favorite parts of my job.  Stay Connected Unfortunately, due to technological constraints, replies to this newsletter won’t reach my email account. To share your input or ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance, please feel free to reach out by email at Rep.Tina.Liebling@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-0573. You can contact my Legislative Assistant, Krysta, at 651-296-7173 or via email at Krysta.Niedemhofer@house.mn.gov. If you call or email, please include your street address so I’ll know if you live in my legislative district. It is an honor and a privilege to represent you at the Capitol. Warmly, Tina Liebling, State Representative |