Dear Neighbor,
Improving public safety is a cornerstone priority of House Republicans this session and illegal immigration is one factor contributing to high rates of violent crime in our state.
This subject came to the forefront this week when the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee conducted a hearing for legislation requiring county attorneys to report illegal aliens arrested for violent crimes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This bill is Minnesota’s version of the Laken Riley Act, recently signed into law by President Trump after Riley was killed by an illegal alien with a criminal history. The scope of our bill also is narrow, limited to illegal aliens suspected of murder, assault, domestic assault, crimes committed for the benefit of a gang, robbery, carjacking, kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct.
Public testimony in support of this bill (H.F. 16) was quite emotional. Charles Thayer is a very close friend of mine, and he testified in explicit detail regarding how his mother was murdered by her illegal alien boyfriend with a felony conviction. It’s clear this heinous killing has caused the family great pain and Charles left the committee with one big question that’s on his mind: “The only question I really have left is how anybody on any side of any aisle would ever have a problem with reporting dangerous criminals to ICE so they can be considered for deportation immediately.” Click here for Charles’ full testimony.
Meanwhile, Minneapolis and St. Paul recently joined a sanctuary city lawsuit against President Trump. Minneapolis has a city ordinance in place prohibiting officers from “detecting the presence of undocumented persons.” Law enforcement officers violating this prohibition are subject to disciplinary actions.
Americans support stronger border and enforcement of our immigration laws. This bill is a step in the right direction in Minnesota, addressing the issue of activists within government not cooperating with immigration enforcement and holding violent illegal aliens accountable for violent crimes.
Whistleblower bill
Earlier this week, the House approved a bill providing more whistleblower protections for state employees who report government fraud and the misuse of state or federal funds. It is just one way House Republicans are working to crack down on fraud, waste and abuse in our state that has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and counting the last handful of years alone.
The whistleblower bill ensures public employees can report misconduct without fear of retaliation. Minnesota law already provides whistleblower protections, but this bill strengthens them by clearly covering reports of fraud and tax dollar misuse in state programs. It also expands the list of who whistleblowers can report to, including law enforcement and other government bodies.
The bill passed the House unanimously 133-0 and has received bipartisan support over in the Senate so let’s hope it’s on the governor’s desk for enactment shortly.
Supporting women/children
A pair of House Republican bills to support women and children came to the floor this week. These bills provided House Democrats with two chances to come to their senses and do what most Minnesotans want instead of catering to the radical activists.
House Democrats blew those chances, keeping some of the world’s most extreme abortion policies in place. The two bills they voted down include:
- The Supporting Women Act (HF 25) restores a grant from 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.
- 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.
Voting down the Born Alive Rollback is the one that really gets people. No matter how much Gov. Walz tries to act like this didn’t happen, he really did sign into law a Democrat bill that repealed the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, among other changes. Minnesota law now states physicians should “care for” the infant, after Democrats removed the word “preserve.”
And, because of House Democrats, it’s going to stay that way at least for now.
Until next time, please stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Shane