Dear friends and neighbors, I am excited to bring you an update from our second week of session at the Capitol. The week has been filled with committee meetings, floor sessions, rallies, yet still no Democrats. Session PrioritiesThis week we introduced our first 10 bills as a caucus, which highlight our priorities and goals for the session. Each of the bills aims to do something different, but they all connect under the following 6 goals: - Stop the Fraud
- Make Minnesota Affordable
- Make Minnesota Safe
- Build for the Future
- Minnesota Tax Dollars for Minnesotans
- Raise Standards, Reduce Mandates
As we have seen from the past few years of complete Democrat control, fraud has been unchecked, the cost of living has dramatically increased, crime has skyrocketed, and Minnesota has been a more difficult place to live and work overall. With these goals laid out for the session, we will be working on legislation to address some of the greatest issues that Minnesotans face each day. March for Life On Wednesday, we remembered the 51st anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision to legalize abortions across the state. MCCL organized a March for Life on the steps of the Capitol and thousands of participants came for the rally. Thank you to all who braved the cold in support of this important cause and to advocate for the lives of the unborn.  Committee DisruptionLeftist of MN held a rally on the steps of the Capitol on Tuesday, encouraged by Rep. Leigh Finke. They then attended Public Safety committee and disrupted the meeting for almost 20 minutes with a bullhorn and various chants. Representative Walter Hudson, a member of the committee, filmed the altercation. Beware that the content of the video is inappropriate for work and children. Outbursts like this are unacceptable and kept the Public Safety Committee from hearing valuable community voices that were invited to speak to members.  Democrats Still MissingIt's been almost two full weeks and the Democrats have yet to come to work at the Capitol. It is extremely disappointing and absolutely unacceptable that they are refusing to meet us on the House floor or in our committees. Even worse, we have called on state department leaders to come to our committees and share insight into Governor Walz's budget proposal, among other things, but Walz has instructed them not to come. Democrat representatives and the governor have left us to work on our own and conduct business as best we can. As the days go on without them here, I will continue to work with the rest of my Republican colleagues to do what we were elected to do. Thank you for your support.  In our DistrictThis weekend: Every Thursday: - Soup Thursday at Carlos Creek Winery. Warm up from cold temps with famous, made-from-scratch soup.
- Smart Alex Trivia at Copper Trail Brewing Company. Trivia is free to play and there are gift card prizes for the top three scoring teams!
Please Contact MeIf you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me at either 651-296-3201 or rep.mary.franson@house.mn.gov I would love to hear from you. It’s an honor to represent the best!  |