Friends and Neighbors,
The pace has slowed this week as many of the large supplemental finance bills have received their initial approval in the Minnesota House. After hours of debate and many late nights, these bills now head to conference committees where differences between the House and Senate versions will be hashed out before returning to each body for final approval.
Like always, I am working hard to represent you, your family, and our communities. Please continue to reach out to me or my office if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.
Supporting Veterans
It has been an honor to serve as the Republican-lead of the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee these last two years. Veterans issues are one of the few remaining things in St. Paul that are generally bipartisan. As a veteran myself, I understand the sacrifices that veterans and their families make—especially those who have become disabled in service of our nation.
To those individuals and their families, we can never thank you enough.
Last week, Republicans were able to successfully amend the Tax omnibus bill with a provision to increase the Veterans Homestead Tax Exemption.
During the debate, the Chair of the Veterans Committee, Rep. Jerry Newton, bucked his tax chair and spoke in favor of the amendment. While our members spoke in favor of the amendment, the Tax Chair, Rep. Aisha Gomez, was swarmed by her members and they convinced her that supporting this was the right thing to do.
We ended up with a 100% green vote on the amendment and it was adopted into the final bill. This was a big victory for our disabled veterans!
This still has to make it through the conference committee and be signed by the Governor, but it was a significant step. Please reach out to the Senate and respectfully ask them to include it in their version as well.
Standing for Religious Liberty
On Tuesday, the House approved legislation pertaining to the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) to re-establish protections for religious entities against discrimination claims. The bill unanimously passed the Senate earlier in the day and, with the House also providing overwhelming approval, it is now on Gov. Tim Walz’s desk for enactment.
Tuesday’s vote was a good first step in protecting religious liberties for all Minnesotans. While I am happy to see this important legislation head to Gov. Walz’s desk, I am still troubled and confused as to why Democrats supported this unconstitutional change in the first place. Religious liberty is enshrined in our state and federal constitutions, and it is disturbing that so many were willing to infringe on this foundational right.
Moving forward, I remain concerned about problematic language in a proposed constitutional amendment that could be making its way to the House Floor in the weeks ahead that would strike an even more significant blow to religious liberty and freedom of conscience for faith-based organizations. So, while Tuesday was a positive step, we need to remain vigilant and continue to stand strong for religious freedom in Minnesota.
Senator Mitchell Update
On Tuesday, the Senate Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct held a hearing regarding Senator Nicole Mitchell’s arrest and the 1st-degree burglary charges she is facing in Becker County.
You can read the formal ethics complaint filed by her Senate colleagues here.
The subcommittee consists of two Democratic senators and two Republicans, and they are tasked with gathering testimony from the involved parties, allowing time for questioning, and determining whether to proceed with an investigation to determine if Sen. Mitchell violated Senate Rules related to ethical standards. To be clear, it was not a criminal proceeding—even though Sen. Mitchell’s attorney and Committee Chair Sen. Bobby Joe Champion conducted it as such at times.
I encourage you to watch the hearing by clicking here.
Sen. Mitchell pleaded the fifth and refused to answer any questions and let her attorney serve as her spokesperson throughout the hearing.
Ultimately, the committee decided to hold off on making any formal recommendations and will reconvene on June 12th, a few days after Sen. Mitchell’s next court appearance, to discuss the next steps.
That’s all for this week. Stay tuned for more in the days and weeks ahead. Have a good weekend and please stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Matt