Dear Neighbors,
I hope you had a blessed Easter weekend and that you were able to spend time with loved ones and family. The legislature returned to St. Paul on Tuesday afternoon following the conclusion of our annual Easter break. It was nice to be back home for a few extra days as we recharge our batteries for the final 6 weeks of the 2024 legislative session.
Last week, Gov. Walz gave his “State of the State” address. Over the years, this annual speech has become increasingly irrelevant, nevertheless, it was interesting to hear Walz paint a rosy picture of his track record as governor.
As a political speech, it is not surprising that Gov. Walz refused to tell the whole story about how the lives of Minnesotans have gotten more difficult during his time in office. Telling the whole story would require him to admit that his policies are not working.
Instead, he spun a tale about how everything is going smoothly. Those of us who live in the real world understand that this rosy picture could not be further from the truth.
Here’s the reality that he doesn’t seem to understand:
- Life is still unaffordable for many families who are struggling with inflation and the billions in tax increases passed by Democrats last legislative session.
- School districts across the state are struggling to cope with the dozens of mandates Democrats imposed that are forcing budget cuts and layoffs. Governor Walz offers distractions about so-called book bans while half of our students can't read at grade level and reading scores have dropped ten percent during his time in office. The Governor should spend less time insulting parents who are trying to protect students from extremely graphic, age-inappropriate books from school libraries and more time working to improve test scores.
- Crime remains too high, and our law enforcement officers are not feeling supported by state leaders as Democrat prosecutors coddle criminals while demonizing the heroes working to keep our communities safe.
Unfortunately, the out-of-control spending isn’t going to slow down any time soon as Gov. Walz and House and Senate Democrats announced that they will be spending at least another $500 million this year. This is even though Minnesota is already steamrolling towards a deficit in the next budget cycle.
It has never been clearer that balance is BADLY needed at the legislature in St. Paul. Full Democrat control has led to a more expensive, less safe Minnesota where reading scores for students continue to fall, and businesses refuse to expand or come here.
It’s time to stop the insanity and bring commonsense, Minnesota values back to our legislature.
Full-Time Legislature?
On Thursday, the State Government Finance Committee heard a bill that proposes a constitutional amendment—asking voters to remove the 120-day limit and the May adjournment date from our state constitution.
This would effectively turn us into a full-time legislature.
Minnesota has a long history of a citizen legislature. This allows Minnesotans to run for state office and serve their communities in the legislature while still maintaining their current job or profession. For 5 months a year, legislators from all walks of life whether they be farmers, teachers, law enforcement officers, or more leave their jobs behind to do the people’s work in St. Paul.
This lets us stay close to the people and communities we represent.
Professional politicians have no place in St. Paul and I do not support this proposal.
Staying in Touch
Please be sure to reach out to me to share your thoughts, concerns, and ideas. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-4333 or via email at rep.josh.heintzeman@house.mn.gov.
Have a good weekend,
Josh