Dear Neighbors,
It was an extremely busy time in St. Paul last week with more than a dozen bills coming to the House Floor for debate and votes including several large omnibus spending bills. Remember, last year Democrats grew overall government spending by 40%, raised your taxes by $10 billion, and spent the entire $18 billion budget surplus.
Now, they are looking to spend even more of your hard-earned tax dollars.
Here’s a quick recap of last week. As always, if you have any questions on the bills or topics discussed below, please reach out to me.
Gun Control Bills
Two gun control bills were approved last week, largely on party line votes. Once again, these bills prove that Democrats would prefer to focus their efforts on making it more difficult for law abiding gun owners to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights instead of punishing criminals.
In fact, while they create new hoops and legal traps that could turn you into a criminal, they have introduced legislation that would lower penalties for committing violent crimes.
The first bill criminalizes the victim of a crime for failing to report the crime. Simply put, no person should be charged with a crime when they had no criminal intent, did not act with willful recklessness, and could not have foreseen the criminal consequences of their victimization.
The second bill mandates how a private citizen and law abiding gun owner must store their firearms inside their home.
This bill creates a new class of criminals out of peaceable people, introduces new felony charges, and opens the door for law enforcement to conduct searches without a discernable risk to public safety—thereby possibly creating dangerous situations for officers and citizens.
Current law already provides strong accountability for those who negligently store firearms around children. Again, this bill is overbroad and does nothing to hold criminals accountable.
Environment Bill
On Wednesday, the House approved the environment omnibus bill. I voted “no” because the bill is harmful for businesses, outdoor enthusiasts, farmers, and had bipartisan opposition during the committee process. Unfortunately, instead of working with farmers, businesses, outdoor groups and more, Democrats are once again pushing a metro-centric agenda of mandates and regulations that will drive up the costs of goods, services, food, and grant new enforcement authority to state agencies.
As the Republican-lead for the House Environment Committee, I am extremely disappointed about the missed opportunities presented in this bill and am hopeful that some of the more concerning provisions are removed during conference committee with the Senate.
State Office Building Update
Last week, the very first $11 million payment for the unnecessary and extravagant $730 million "Palace for Politicians" was made.
Remember, while you and your family struggle to pay for the rising costs of food, gas, electricity, and more, Democrats in the House are building themselves a shrine to government.
Throughout the week, we offered several amendments to try and stop this project and reallocate these funds towards more pressing needs including roof repairs for school districts, childcare access, and much more.
This entire project has been egregious from the very start and something that we have tried to stop many times. Unfortunately, Democrats refuse to see the error in their ways and have not joined us in protecting taxpayers.
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 day,
Josh