Dear Neighbors,
The 2024 legislative session came to an end this week, putting a bow on a two-year biennium that saw some of the most radical and out-of-touch legislating we’ve seen in some time. Complete Democrat control of St. Paul has led to poor results for hardworking Minnesotans.
Remember, with the record $18 billion surplus last year, Minnesotans deserved meaningful tax cuts at a time when in?ation and rising costs of living have family budgets stretched thin. Instead, Democrats went on a spending spree, increased the budget by 40% – the largest budget increase in Minnesota history – and raised taxes by $10 billion in the process.
When the 2024 session began, Democrats were right back at it, raising the cost of a new worker leave program by half a billion dollars before it even begins, and many other unpopular and unnecessary tax and fee increases that take money out of the pockets of Minnesota families.
Instead of working with us on the issues that matter most to Minnesotans, they took a highly partisan approach to governing. It’s almost as if they knew they had a brief two-year window to jam as much of their progressive wish list through before the next election.
Examples include adopting some of the world’s most extreme abortion policies, enacting a state-funded speech registry that could undermine First Amendment rights, and declaring Minnesota a sanctuary state for transgender healthcare – for children.
The dysfunction came to a crash-landing late Sunday night as Democrats rolled dozens of unrelated bills into a massive 1,400-page omnibus bill and jammed it through minutes before the midnight deadline. The debate was shut down through procedural motions and in a matter of moments, without discussion and even without the bill text having been made available to House members before a vote took place, it was passed on a party-line vote.
You can watch a brief video I recorded on this by clicking here or the photo below.
Despite the many, many, many disappointments, we were still able to prevent even more extreme bills from becoming law. This includes stopping many of the most egregious gun control bills, doctor-assisted suicide, legislation enshrining abortion up until birth in the state’s constitution, and more. We were also able to make sure that Republican legislation was enacted into law this session to re-establish protections for religious entities and to make sure School Resource Officers (SROs) could return to schools.
All in all, it was a difficult two years for freedom loving Minnesotans. As your representative, I will keep fighting for our way of life and for the voices of west central Minnesota to be heard LOUD and CLEAR in St. Paul.
Staying in Touch
Even though the legislative session is over, the work never stops. So please continue to reach out to me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.
Have a great day,
Jeff