Legislative UpdateDear neighbors, It was another busy week here in Saint Paul. We had multiple bills heard on the floor including my House File 3 which we heard on Monday. HF 3 creates an innovative tool designed to evaluate the risk of fraud in proposed legislation. Using reports from the OLA (Office of the Legislative Auditor), these assessments would give lawmakers insight into possible fraud vulnerabilities before implementing new programs or policies. HF 3 failed to pass with a 67-66 vote Democrats had a chance to crack down on fraud and protect Minnesota taxpayers, and they chose to block it. This bill would have saved millions by identifying vulnerabilities before waste and abuse could occur. Instead, Democrats put politics over common sense and blocked a proven way to stop waste, fraud, and abuse in state government. The bill was laid on the table after the Democrats signaled their intent to continue to support fraud and will likely be brought back up at a future date. Click here to watch my floor speech on HF 3.  On Monday we also heard House File 23 which expands whistleblower protections to cover all state employees, not just classified state workers, and includes reports of ‘fraud’ and ‘misuse’ as protected disclosures. Also, it expands who whistleblowers can report to, now including law enforcement and other government bodies. These changes provide whistleblowers with multiple safe avenues to report concerns. This bill passed 133-0. On Thursday we heard House File 24 and 25 on the house floor. House file 24 or “born alive bill” states that if a child is born alive during an abortion all life saving measures must be taken to save that child. We also heard House 25 which allocates money to pregnancy centers and maternity homes, giving women real options and choices when facing an unexpected pregnancy. Both HF 24 and 25 failed to pass with all 67 House Republicans voting in favor of these bills and all 66 House Democrats voting against. Several of the Democrats who voted against the bills, had voted in favor of them years ago when they were passed into law. Community Updates I would like to congratulate the Watertown Mayer Wrestling team on winning their first team state championship! Visitors Met with Brian Gersich Superintendent from 110 School District and Melanie Hagen and Amanda Wilson from the School Board. Great to discuss issues important to the school district. |