Dear neighbor,
After skipping work for 23 days, House Democrats finally ended their government shutdown on Thursday and came to the Capitol. Here is an overview of agreed-upon conditions.
- There will be a Republican Speaker of the House for the first time in six years. As Speaker, Rep. Lisa Demuth of Cold Spring will be the second-most powerful elected official in Minnesota.
- Republicans will chair the new House committee we established to investigate fraud in state government programs for two years and have a 5-3 voting margin over Democrats.
- Republicans have committee chairmanships and majorities on all committees for the entire five-week period leading up to the March 11 special election in District 40B (Roseville).
- We will return to a split committee roster and co-chairs IF the Roseville seat returns to Democrats.
- Even if the House returns to an even 67-67 split, Rep. Demuth remains the sole Speaker of the House.
It’s big that Republicans will hold the House Speaker’s gavel for the full biennium – through 2026. That means Rep. Demuth will control which bills come to the floor for votes on final approval. In other words, we finally have a backstop after Democrats spent the last two years passing one radical bill after another.
It’s also good that House Republicans are in charge of the brand-new Fraud and Agency Oversight Committee we created to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse in state government. Democrats sat on their hands the last two years as rampant fraud overtook our state programs. They had their chance, did nothing with it, and now Republicans will bring a serious approach to cracking down on this theft of taxpayer dollars.
This shutdown had gone on far too long, so it’s good something finally convinced Democrats to show up for work. Maybe they were simply starting to feel the heat from constituents who didn’t like the fact they had been collecting a taxpayer-funded paycheck while staying home for nearly a full month.
Now, we can officially get going on issues that had been delayed during the House Democrat shutdown. This includes legislation I authored with major local benefits (I hope to share more about this very soon, so stay tuned).
At a state level, we also need to get busy assembling a new state budget for the next two-year cycle starting in July. That is our top responsibility for this session and it’s high time we get our state’s finances in order after the Democrat trifecta raised state spending by 40 percent two years ago, blowing the $18 billion surplus and still raising taxes by $10 billion.
From a more general perspective, House Republicans share a set of priorities with Minnesotans for this biennium. Here is more on one of them:
Minnesota Tax Dollars for Minnesotans
House Republicans this week unveiled a package of legislation to ensure state-funded programs and taxpayer resources are reserved for legal residents, while also strengthening immigration enforcement.
It’s called the “Minnesota Tax Dollars for Minnesotans,” and the main points of the plan include:
- Ensuring state-funded benefits go to legal residents: This measure prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving state-funded financial aid, grants, subsidies, or other taxpayer-funded assistance, including programs such as the North Star Promise college tuition program and MinnesotaCare.
- Banning sanctuary cities and strengthening immigration enforcement: This legislation prevents local and state government entities from enacting policies that restrict cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. It also mandates reporting illegal immigrants arrested for violent crimes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ensuring that criminals who are here unlawfully are held accountable.
 These bills highlight House Republicans’ commitment to fiscal responsibility, law and order, and ensuring Minnesota taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. This package is about fairness, accountability, and making sure state resources go where they are needed most – to legal citizens in Minnesota. House Republicans will continue to push for stronger financial oversight, smarter spending, and policies that put Minnesotans first as the legislative session continues. I’ll be back with more from the House soon. The pace should ramp up significantly next week and I will do my best to keep you in the loop. Sincerely, Shane |