Dear Neighbor,
Greetings from the House of Representatives, where next week we will return to a full 134 members and a 67-67 split following the results of Tuesday’s special election in Roseville/Shoreview.
As of Monday, we will be working under an organizational agreement that includes co-chairs for all committees – with one important exception: Rep. Kristin Robbins will remain the sole chair for the Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, with House Republicans retaining a 5-3 majority on that panel. This ensures due diligence will be conducted to root out fraud, waste and abuse that’s been running rampant in Minnesota, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
Personally, I will continue to serve as House Speaker for the duration of this two-year term, with minimal restrictions.
Our biggest responsibility of this session is to set a new two-year state budget. Every decision we face will happen in the context of Democrats spending our $18 billion surplus, raising taxes by $10 billion, and driving us to a projected $6 billion surplus with the budget they enacted in 2023.
Now, we need to do the work to clean up this mess and approve a new budget – without tax increases – before our May 19 deadline to adjourn. How this split House plays out remains to be seen, but House Republicans will continue working to restore balance after two years of one-party rule in St. Paul.
In other news:
Whistleblower protection bill passes
Earlier this week, the Minnesota House unanimously passed a bill to strengthen whistleblower protections for state employees who report government fraud or misuse of state and federal funds.
This legislation makes sure public employees can call out wrongdoing without fear of retaliation, helping to increase transparency and accountability in state government.
Minnesota already has whistleblower protections, but this bill takes them further. It explicitly includes reports of fraud and financial misuse in state programs, extends protections to all state employees (not just classified workers), and broadens the list of who whistleblowers can report to—now including law enforcement and other government agencies.
The bill (H.F. 23) passed the House 133-0 and now moves to the Senate, where it has already gained bipartisan backing ahead of a vote.
Bills supporting women and children defeated
House Republicans brought to the floor Thursday a pair of bills to support women and children.
The Supporting Women Act (HF 25) restores a grant established in 2005 called Positive Alternatives, which Democrats took away in 2023. The bill appropriates $8 million per two years to women’s pregnancy centers and maternity homes. This bill doesn’t cut anything, it simply restores funding that has always been available, ensuring women have access to all options when making important life decisions. This shouldn’t be a partisan issue and women deserve full support from the legislature.
The Born Alive Rollback (HF 24) extends legal protections to infants who are born alive after an abortion procedure. This bill would require that doctors protect the lives of infants under these adverse circumstances in the same way that they protect infants born under normal conditions.
This bill is necessary because Democrats in full control of the Capitol struck language protecting these infants in state law. They enacted a bill that repealed and/or amended numerous laws relating to abortion, including the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. As you can see below, Minnesota law now states physicians should vaguely “care for” the infant, after Democrats removed the word “preserve.”
Gov. Walz and other Democrats have tried to deny the change they made, but the language is quite clear and is among the most radical abortion policy on the planet. This is not what most Minnesotans want, and we need to fix it.
Unfortunately, House Democrats defeated both of these bills – the Born Alive Rollback and the Supporting Women Act on party-line votes. Let’s hope – for Minnesota’s sake – we turn a new leaf next week and start doing what’s best for the people of our state instead of catering to extremists.
Have a good weekend, please stay in touch and let me know how I can help.
Sincerely,
Lisa