Friends,
Last week the House passed two pro-life bills that I voted for: HF 809 will bring Minnesota law into line with the federal government and 33 other states by banning the use of tax payer money for abortions except for those where the mother's life is endangered or in the cases of rape & incest. Thirty three other states, and the federal government have similar laws in place already.
HF 812 will require facilities that perform abortions to be licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health. We believe that women's' health and safety is a top priority and facilities performing abortions should be inspected regularly and meet safety, sanitary, and health standards.
You can watch my video talking about each of these bills here. I will always stand on the side of life and support bills like these that are important to the pro-life community.
Joint Budget Targets Set
As you can see in the chart above, the House and Senate have come to agreements on funding priorities while still returning over a billion dollars in long overdue tax relief and reform to Minnesotans. We have also dedicated $372 million in new transportation funds and dedicated $1.14 billion in new education funding.
Again, it's unfortunate that Governor Dayton has declined to fully participate in the process. But with these budget targets set, our hope is that Governor Dayton will come to the table so we can get our work done in a transparent and open process. It's not in the best interest of Minnesotans for the Governor to not participate in the process, veto bills that he declined to have a hand in negotiating, and then have us all start back over. I have hope we will get all our work done on time but to do that, we will need the Governor to engage.
Visit to Baudette
I had a great time in Baudette this weekend. First at a meet and greet with constituents at the ambulance garage and then at the American Legion for an Eagle Scout ceremony for Zachary Muggli. It was an honor to attend.
Rep. Grossell (far right) at the ceremony for Zach Muggli (pictured below)
Please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts or concerns. My phone number is 651-296-4265 or you can email me at rep.matt.grossell@house.mn.
Have a great week,
Matt