Dear Neighbor, The House’s final committee deadlines are only one week away, at which point bills that have cleared the necessary hurdles will start coming to the floor for votes of the full body. Most of the attention will be on a series of budget bills that, together, will shape our state’s next two-year budget. A bipartisan agreement has been reached on the overall framework for the budget and it includes the largest spending reduction in Minnesota history after two years of reckless spending and unnecessary tax increases with Democrats in full control of the Capitol. They spent the $18 billion surplus, raised taxes by $10 billion and increased the state budget by $20 billion – a 40-percent hike – in 2023. The state now has a projected $6 billion shortfall. Education is one part of the budget to keep an eye on between now and our May 19 deadline to adjourn. Schools all around our state are in crisis mode, with major financial shortfalls despite receiving boatloads of new money in the Democrats’ 2023 budget. How can that be? It’s because the Democrats also passed 65-plus unfunded mandates that not only gobbled up the new dollars but left schools in worse shape than they were before. This includes a new leave program, sick-time requirements, and unemployment insurance mandates for hourly school-year employees applied during the summer months. All the while, Minnesota students continue falling behind and only around half of them can read or do math at their grade level. So, what does Gov. Tim Walz, the “Education Governor” want to do about this problem? He proposes slashing education by more than $240 million in 2026-27 and another $445 million in 2028-29. This includes cutting merit-based teacher compensation (Q Comp), special education transportation, and non-public pupil support. House Republicans have launched a Save Our Schools plan to take a different approach. A press conference was conducted to outline the priorities we share with most Minnesotans: local control, funding flexibility and mandate relief for our schools. I’m sure I’ll have more to say on this as the session plays out, so stay tuned. Return to work For five years, since the onset of COVID-19, state employees have been working remotely. The governor recently issued an order that most people would consider common sense, requiring most of them to be in the office at least 50 percent of the time starting June 1. While technology has certainly made remote work more feasible, it’s time they return to the office, at least part of the time. The benefits of in-person collaboration are undeniable. The outrage some people have voiced in response to having to show up at work a couple days per week is completely disconnected from the taxpayers who pay their salaries. Capitol cross  A nice display featuring the Cross and the Ten Commandments was placed on the Capitol lawn to recognize the start of year’s holiday. Then, someone went ahead and destroyed it. Reports indicate a man in his 30s was cited for the incident, but this issue does not seem to be getting the same level of coverage from the Twin Cities media compared with a Satanic display that was put IN the Capitol before last Christmas. Fill in your own blanks about why that has happened, but thank you to those who are putting some light on this offensive act.  Until next time, have a good weekend and hope to see you around the district. Sincerely, Jimmy |