Legislative Update – March 7, 2025
Dear Neighbors,
It was another busy couple of weeks at the Capitol, full of constituent visits, committee meetings, and debates on bills, culminating with receiving our updated state budget forecast yesterday which you can read more about below.
Thank you to all the constituents who continue to visit my office and make your voices heard. I met with constituents advocating for arts investment, the Healthcare Leaders Association, CPAs, Hennepin County Commissioner Heather Edelson, Bicycle Alliance MN, CenterPoint Energy, the Teamsters, and the Nurses Association.
I also stopped by the South Tonka Mayor’s candidate forum to hear about local issues and meet with students from Minnetonka High School. Finally, I was proud to join fellow Representatives Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn and Cheryl Youakim for a meeting with the League of Women Voters.
Minnesota Budget Update
This week a new state economic forecast confirmed that federal policies like budget cuts and tariffs are already moving Minnesota’s economy and state budget in the wrong direction.
Thanks to responsible DFL budgeting, the November forecast showed a $3.7 billion surplus in the current biennium, and today’s forecast shows a $456 million positive balance in the upcoming budget cycle. The state continues to have our highest budget reserve fund ever.
Unfortunately, federal policies and uncertain economics have led to a lower projected positive balance than we saw in November’s forecast. And when the federal government walks away from its obligations, the state has to step in, and we simply won’t have the resources to keep up. This will have dire consequences for the people of Minnesota and our state budget.
As your representative, I’m committed to fighting for an economy where everyone can get ahead and doing everything possible this legislative session to ensure that Minnesotans continue to have the high standards of living we’ve built here.
House Floor Action
Republicans still have control of the House Chamber until a special election next week likely reverts us to a tie. While there has been some positive bipartisan work done in committees, some of the bills brought to votes on the House floor have been too extreme to support.
I was especially concerned about a proposed “Shoot First” bill we stopped from passing last night, that would eliminate the duty to retreat before using reasonable force in self-defense. Currently, 27 states have Shoot First laws, and every one of them has a higher rate of gun deaths than Minnesota, with the average rate of gun deaths being more than twice Minnesota’s. This proposal would make Minnesota less safe.
This bill was a solution searching for a problem and would have set us back after all the progress we made together last session in curbing gun violence affecting our communities. You can watch DFL legislators speaking alongside Moms Demand Action at a press conference opposing the bill here.
DFLers are united in defeating these bills on the House Floor, and we’re succeeding. Not only are these bills a waste of time, but they also send a harmful message to Minnesotans who already fear the impact that Trump’s agenda will have on our state.
Fighting Trump’s Agenda
I continue to monitor the situation in Washington D.C., and I’m in touch with both statewide and federal partners to learn more about how Trump’s unconstitutional agenda will affect Minnesotans. DFLers are acting swiftly and effectively to do as much as we can to push back on Trump’s actions.
Our Attorney General, Keith Ellison, has won a preliminary injunction against the Trump Administration for defunding medical and public health innovation research, a court has blocked Trump’s illegal orders targeting trans youth and gender-affirming care, and Minnesota helped secure a court order blocking the Trump Administration from freezing federal funds on Thursday.
I’d encourage you to follow the Attorney General’s social media pages and keep an eye on his press communications to learn more about how Minnesota leaders are fighting back against government overreach.
I also want to invite you to attend a Town Hall with local legislators and Attorney General Keith Ellison on Tuesday, March 25th from 6:30-7:30pm at the Ridgedale Hennepin County Library. I've heard concerns from many of our constituents about executive orders and other actions coming from Washington, and I'm looking forward to having the Attorney General join us to share what the State of Minnesota is doing to keep residents protected, and how you can help!
Staying in touch
Please reach out if you have any questions or feedback you would like to share. You can contact me by email at rep.patty.acomb@house.mn.gov or call my office during business hours at (651) 296-9934.
Sincerely,
Patty Acomb
State Representative