The hope is Minnesota can show that opposing political parties can still come together to get things done. I started my legislative career in a divided government, and I’m confident we can put partisan politics aside and deliver results for our neighbors. It’s worth noting that these aren’t the final versions of our budget bills, only the House proposals. Once passed, we’ll then begin working with the Senate to hammer out the differences between our proposals and then pass these budgets one final time before sending them to Governor Walz to sign into law. Investing in Higher Education A preview of what’s to come - the House’s Higher Education proposal will have its House Floor vote on Monday. As the Co-Chair of the Higher Education Committee, I co-authored this bill, and while it’s certainly a compromise, I’m proud of what we accomplished - especially securing $3 million in new funding for the St. Cloud medical school campus! As we see almost daily headlines on the Trump administration interfering in higher education, my team and I worked hard to protect Minnesota’s colleges and universities from MAGA extremism. We also ensure new, popular programs like the North Star Promise remain intact, which provides free college to students whose families make less than $80,000 a year. Income shouldn’t be a barrier to higher learning, especially when education is so often the means to which people can better their lives. This was a program with a big target on its back, but I’ll always fight to protect it. You can read more about our bill here. I expect it to pass the House on Monday with bipartisan support, and I’ll keep you posted as we craft a final version with our Senate colleagues. Stay Connected I’ll leave you with these words from Governor Walz during this week’s State of the State Address: “If you say you love freedom but you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love is not freedom, it is privilege.” That’s a sentiment I’ll take with me as we wrap up our work this session. If you’d like to watch the Governor’s entire speech, you can do so here. These final weeks go by fast, so please continue to reach out with any questions you may have on our budget bills and the legislative process. As always, you can reach me at Rep.Dan.Wolgamott@house.mn.gov or 651-296-6612, and stay in the loop by following along on my official Facebook page. Have a beautiful spring weekend! Sincerely, Rep. Dan Wolgamott District 14B |