Legislative UpdateFriends and Neighbors, This week brought a big shift at the Capitol with the results of Tuesday’s special election bringing the House back to a 67-67 tie. Starting next week, every committee will have an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, and the chairmanship will rotate between the parties each week. This new dynamic could slow down the legislative process—an unfortunate reality given that we already lost nearly a month at the beginning of session when Democrats refused to show up. Despite that setback, we have been hard at work delivering results for Minnesotans. In just the past month and a half, we’ve passed five bills off the House floor with strong bipartisan support—including my SAVI bill, which was the first to pass, breaking the ice. In fact, we’ve already moved more bills in this short time than some previous Legislatures managed in their entire first months, showing our commitment to addressing your priorities. I’ll share more details on our progress next week, but rest assured, we’re getting things done. Beyond legislative work, I’ve had the privilege of meeting with constituents and advocates from across the district. This past week, I sat down with representatives from Ramsey County, the MN Council on Economic Education, the Legislative Audit Commission, Schools Advocating for Fair Funding (SAFF), State Grant Program representatives, advocates for ending homelessness, and the Association of MN Public Educational Radio Stations. Thank you all for coming in and engaging in meaningful discussions! Protecting Our Students: Update on HF 914Last week, I highlighted one of my key bills, HF 914, which would allow school district HR departments to share personnel files between schools. Right now, state law prevents this, putting our kids at unnecessary risk. We’ve already seen the consequences of this policy. One Minnesota teacher faced allegations of sexual misconduct, but before an investigation could take place, he resigned and was hired by another school district. The hiring school had no access to his personnel file, and the allegation never appeared in a background check. HF 914 closes this dangerous loophole and ensures schools have the information they need to keep students safe. Disappointingly, Education Minnesota—the state’s largest teachers’ union—opposed this common-sense reform. They falsely claimed the bill would make personnel files public and violate teacher privacy, despite the fact that it only allows HR departments to share files internally. Their opposition to a bill that would protect students isn’t surprising, given that during COVID, they lobbied to keep schools closed far longer than necessary, hurting students’ academic progress and mental health. Keeping bad actors out of our schools should be a priority for everyone. I won’t stop fighting for this bill because we must put student safety above political talking points. Education Minnesota should refocus its efforts on ensuring good teachers are hired and bad ones are held accountable. Action on the House FloorIn addition to committee hearings, we had several key votes on the House floor this week. On Monday, we considered two bills aimed at preventing fraud. The good news: we passed HF 23, which strengthens protections for whistleblowers who report fraud and misuse of state funds. The bad news: Democrats blocked HF 3, which would have created a fraud note system to assess the risk of fraud in proposed legislation. Minnesota has already seen $610 million in known fraud, and this bill would have added much-needed oversight. Instead, Democrats admitted they would rather use fraud protections as a bargaining chip in budget negotiations. That’s unacceptable, and we’ll keep pushing for meaningful reforms. On Thursday, the House heard 17 bills, including two of mine: HF 66 – Establishes a minimum filing period for special elections. This bill was a direct response to Governor Walz’s mishandling of the special election for the late Senator Dziedzic’s seat. He gave potential candidates just eight hours to file—over the holidays, no less. HF 66 ensures a minimum of seven days to allow fair participation in the democratic process. HF 1496 – Strengthens election security by requiring verification before an absentee ballot is mailed. With the new permanent absentee ballot list, ballots could be sent to people who have moved, passed away, or no longer wish to vote. This bill ensures ballots only go to the intended recipient, preventing potential fraud and preserving election integrity. Fair and secure elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, and this bill is a step in the right direction. Wrapping UpWith spring around the corner, it’s nice to see the sunshine and warmer temperatures. I hope you all get a chance to enjoy the nice weather today and the slightly cooler, but still comfortable, weekend ahead. As always, I appreciate your feedback and engagement—please feel free to reach out with your thoughts on any of the issues we’re working on. Have a great weekend! |