Dear Neighbors,
On Tuesday, DFLer Doran Clark won the special election to replace the late Kari Dziedzic in the Minnesota State Senate. He could be sworn in as soon as next Thursday, at which point the DFL will once again hold a one-seat majority in the Senate, giving them control of the chamber under the power-sharing agreement that Senators negotiated at the beginning of the session.
We could be at the same place in the House as well, except that:
- House Republicans will not agree to the same power-sharing agreement
- House Republicans successfully sued to block the scheduled special election in House District 40B, pushing that special election back until early March.
These are conscious choices that House Republicans have made. They could have made the same choices that their Senate counterparts have made and, if they had done so, the House would have been organized on January 14th with Lisa Demuth elected as the Speaker, at least until the 40B special election was held.
Instead, House Republicans are continuing with their confrontational “winner take all” negotiating strategy and we still have a ways to go before reaching an agreement. To be clear, House Democrats are ready to return to the Capitol on a day’s notice once our Republican counterparts will agree to:
- Accept the same power-sharing agreement that governs in the Senate.
- Withdraw their attempt to unseat Rep. Brad Tabke.
In the meantime, I am attending policy briefings, responding to constituent correspondence and working on my legislation for the session.
At this point, 16 of my bills are complete and “jacketed” for introduction as soon as the House is properly organized. Among the bills that are finalized (or nearing finalization) are bills that would:
- Reduce the cost of property damage insurance for homeowners’ associations. (The Star Tribune has an excellent story on this topic, today.)
- Reduce the cost of expensive prescription drugs for patients in commercial health insurance plans.
- Charge the owners of electric vehicles a fair road user charge in lieu of gas taxes.
- Provide patients with information about which health plans are worst at denying claims and prior authorizations.
- Require additional health care practices to publish their prices so patients can compare prices for “shoppable” health care services.
- Increase the supply of new housing of all kinds and reduce prices and rents.
- Provide home buyers with information about the energy efficiency of homes that they are considering buying.
Today, I am working with non-partisan House Research on improvements to my landmark 2024 Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act which goes into effect in July.
I am, in fact, “doing my job” and making very effective use of my time. Like most legislators, I do this kind of work twelve months of the year, which is why we’re paid in 12 monthly installments. Until the House is properly and legally organized none of us will be receiving per diem payments or expense reimbursements.
My work often takes me beyond the Capitol, and the start of this year has been no exception.
Federal Funding Freeze
Our representative in Congress, Kelly Morrison, is soliciting feedback on the impact of the Trump Administration’s illegal “funding freeze”. If this is impacting you, please share your stories and your concerns with her using this form. She wants to hear from you and her staff is here to help.
Keep in Touch
Don’t hesitate to reach out if I can provide any assistance. Please follow me on my Facebook page for further updates and invite your friends and family to do so as well.
Thanks for the honor of representing you at the Capitol.
Sincerely,
Steve Elkins
Representative, District 50B
Minnesota House of Representatives
rep.steve.elkins@house.mn.gov