Dear Neighbor,
Here’s a look at the latest from the House as we head into the final full week of the 2025 session. There’s a lot of work left to do before our May 19 deadline to adjourn, especially since we were delayed by House Democrats staying home the first 23 days of this session.
Here are this week’s notes:
Energy bill passes
The House on Thursday approved an omnibus energy bill which pumps the brakes on the Democrats’ unaffordable, unreliable and unsafe approach to energy the last two years. I worked closely with this package in my role as chair of the House committee on energy.
The bill (H.F. 2442) holds flat the energy section of the state’s next two-year budget. It spends $51.4 million in Fiscal Years 2026-27, which is flat compared with current spending shown in the state’s February economic forecast.
In addition to no additional spending, it’s equally notable that the bill contains no new energy policy. It does not push further toward the DFL’s unrealistic climate goals and it does not spend any more money on the DFL’s pet energy projects.
While I would have liked to have gone further by unwinding some of the bad ideas Democrats enacted with full control of the Capitol the last two years, this bill stops their extreme agenda from expanding even further. That’s a big accomplishment, especially in a divided House.
The Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator already has reported a capacity shortfall, indicating Minnesota already doesn’t have enough reliable power-plant capacity online to meet expected peak electricity demand. MISO warnings of capacity shortfalls for peak periods will become more commonplace if our state continues to rely more on intermittent, weather-dependent energy sources as House Democrats propose.
We’ve already seen states such as California take a more liberal approach to energy only to suffer rationed power and cannot afford to undermine our own power grid. We need a more common-sense plan, where nuclear, coal, natural gas, wind, and solar all play an important role in keeping our energy grid diverse, reliable and affordable. That’s where our energy focus needs to be.
The bill passed the House 121-12 and now awaits approval in the Senate before a conference committee can form to prepare it for a vote on final passage. There was a bit of a hiccup today when Senate Democrats brought the energy omnibus bill up for a vote but tabled it after it was amended. After a short recess, an effort to resume debate failed without the necessary 34 Democrat votes. I encourage the Senate to advance the bipartisan energy bill that already passed out of energy committee so we can keep it moving through the process.
Anti-fraud measures
Minnesotans are fed up with being ripped off by fraudsters. That’s why House Republicans are making it a top priority to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse in state government with tough accountability and oversight measures. House Republican measures regarding the following have been moving through the process:
- Requiring state agencies and grant recipients to publicly post their organizational charts.
- Allowing agencies to withhold payments if there’s a credible allegation of fraud.
- Requiring state employees to report suspected fraud promptly.
- Strengthening the OLA’s ability to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse.
- Creating a new Medicaid Fraud Unit.
- Adding new whistleblower protections for state employees who report waste, fraud, and abuse.
- Launching SAVI – an initiative to reduce waste and reward cost-saving innovations within government.
- Funding for four new fraud investigators at OLA and House File 3 (fraud notes bill).
 After Democrats blew an $18 billion surplus, raised taxes by $10 billion, and grew government spending by 40 percent, House Republicans have prioritized reining in bloated agency budgets, making sure every major state agency under the State Government Finance committee saw reductions in their budget. Until next time, good luck if you head out for the fishing opener and have a happy Mother’s Day. Sincerely, Chris |