Legislative UpdateDear friends and neighbors, I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and got to spend some time with friends and family. Last week, we were in recess for the holiday, but we started right where we left off this past Monday. With only three weeks to go until the constitutionally mandated end of session on May 19th, there is still much work to be done. With the House tied and committee membership split evenly amongst the parties, all bills required rigorous negotiation and compromise. No bill can move forward without some support from the opposite party. Before the break, most committees reached an agreement and passed their bill, including my Veterans Committee. This week, the Veterans Bill, SF 1959, was heard in the Ways and Means Committee for some technical work before being sent to the House Floor, likely early next week. This is by no means the final version of the bill, as negotiations will begin with the Senate in the next couple of weeks. I’ll keep you updated as things progress. Here’s what else we’re watching this week. Failing to Provide for MinnesotansJust two years ago, while Democrats had full control of the Legislature, they passed universal health care for illegal immigrants. Originally, that program was projected to serve up to 7,741 people over the next four years with an approximate cost of $220 million over that same period. In reality, 17,396 illegal immigrants have already applied for coverage in just the first three months, tripling the cost projection to over $600 million! After Democrats blew an $18 billion surplus, we now face a $6 billion deficit in 2029. This is a program that our state simply cannot afford. Republicans have said that we must remove this program from the Health Omnibus bill. Democrats, however, refuse to budge, holding up the bill. Instead, to fund it, Democrats suggest we cut aid to essential services Minnesotans rely on, like long-term care facilities and EMS services, both of which are industries already struggling with budget issues. This would hit our area hard. In our district alone, we would see cuts of over $3 million to long-term care facilities. That doesn’t even include nearby facilities and EMS services like those in Bemidji, which would also see cuts. Their proposal would also shift $1.5 billion in costs to our counties, potentially raising property taxes as high as 20%. As it stands, this bill cannot go forward without cutting this program. As representatives, put here by the citizens of Minnesota, our duty is to you. We cannot pass a bill that prioritizes those who broke the law to be here over our communities. Failing to Hold Criminals AccountableLate last month, a string of vandalism occurred in a Minneapolis parking garage. The perpetrator, who we now know is a Walz Administration staffer, was targeting Tesla vehicles, damaging six different cars over a few weeks, racking up over $20,000 in damages. Thanks to the hard work of the Minneapolis Police Department, video evidence and eyewitness accounts were collected, allowing MPD to identify DHS staffer Bryan Adams as the perpetrator. Adams was arrested, and the evidence was turned over to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. Because of the high cost of damages, the police recommended Adams be charged with felony destruction of property. With both video and eyewitness accounts confirming the suspect, it should have been an easy case to bring to trial. Instead, the Hennepin County Attorney decided against filing charges and allowed Adams to walk free. He is still currently employed by DHS. This is, unfortunately, what the metro mindset has come to. Even in clear instances of criminal behavior, metro prosecutors refuse to hold criminals accountable. Looking Forward:- We will continue to work on balancing the budget and reducing the deficit without shifting the costs to counties and local taxpayers.
- The bonding bill is still being worked on, but we will hopefully have a few of our community priorities included in the final bill. I’ll keep you updated as those talks wrap up and we know more.
- Conference committees will begin in the next couple of weeks, and some changes could be made to our bills. I’ll keep you updated as those progress.
Have a great weekend, |