Dear Neighbors,
The Minnesota House of Representatives is now convened (this time for real!) Between now and the special election in the north metro on March 11th, Republicans are chairing the committees and hold a one vote majority on each committee. Assuming that Democrats win that election, which is highly likely, we will shift to bipartisan co-chairs and equal committee memberships on each regular committee. I am serving on the Tax, Health and Commerce committees this session and will be a co-vice chair of the Commerce Committee. The chairs/co-chairs of these committees all have strong working relationships with their counterparts across the aisle and I am very optimistic that this is going to turn out to be a productive session for pragmatic legislators like me.
It is traditional for the majority party to make the first bills introduced during the session their “messaging bills” and this year is no exception. House Files 1 to 29 are mostly bills that would repeal laws that the legislature passed during last session’s DFL “Trifecta” (e.g, postponing the implementation of Paid Family and Medical Leave) or various “culture war” bills related to guns or abortion. Between now and the special election you will see the temporary GOP committee majorities moving these bills between committees to the floor; however, it is unlikely that any of these bills will receive the 68 votes needed to pass them off the House floor in their current form.
Regardless of where this session goes, I know there are a lot of common-ground issues for us to work on together, and I’m approaching proposals from my Republican colleagues with an open mind. My own bills are now being introduced and I’ll discuss some of them in my next update.
Happy to join my new district partner Rep. Julie Greene on the dais as session started in earnest. Sen Mann, Rep Greene and I are working on scheduling our next Town Hall meeting sometime over the next few weeks. Look for an announcement in my next update.
Fraud Prevention Committee
Fraud prevention is going to be a major theme of this session and, as part of the power sharing agreement, we created a new House Committee on Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy. I volunteered to serve as one of three DFL members and five Republicans on this committee which is meeting for the third time, this morning.
Our first two meetings discussed the administration of State grant programs funded by the Legislature and administered by various state agencies. In week one, we heard from the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) about its 2023 study of the State’s grant management landscape (and its 2024 status report). The OLA surveyed the state of grant management, nationwide, looking for best practices from every state as well as other prominent grant-making institutions and came up with an extensive set of recommendations.
In week two, we heard from the Office of Grant Management (OGM) in the Dept of Administration. OGM has developed improved grant management processes in response to the OLA report and is the default grant manager for smaller government agencies. According to the OLA, Minnesota is one of only 12 states to have formal grant management guidelines. Once the OLA’s recommendations are fully implemented, Minnesota will have the most rigorous grant management program of any state in the country.
This morning, we will be hearing a report from the Dept of Human Services about its Child Care Assistance Program.
The issues this committee will be diving into are complex, but I’ve never shied away from taking on complicated issues and I expect this work to be rewarding. When I’ve dived into issues like this in the past (e.g., the MNLARS fiasco) I’ve always found ways to address the underlying issues through improved legislation and I expect that this will prove to be true on this project, as well. I will report back regularly on the work of this committee.
Land Value Tax
The Tax Committee heard my Land Value Tax (LVT). This bill would give local governments the option of creating districts where the value of a parcel’s land is taxed at a higher rate than the structures on the land as an incentive for landowners to develop vacant or underdeveloped land in blighted areas and to discourage land speculation. This strategy has been proven to spur the redevelopment of blighted business districts in cities where it has been applied. Committee members were intrigued by the concept and the bill was laid over for potential inclusion in the omnibus Tax bill, which is usually the last bill to pass at the end of the session.
To learn more, read this House Information article on the land value tax. Watch my presentation of the bill here.
Copper Wire Theft
DFL Commerce Committee members visited Lumen in Saint Paul last Friday afternoon to learn about the theft of copper phone lines. They had a surge in thefts towards the end of the year and then, as soon as our new law regulating scrap copper sales kicked in in January, it suddenly stopped. This goes to show that the policies we pass at the Capitol can have a very real world impact. As part of the tour, we visited the tunnels carved through the sandstone below downtown St Paul through which the local land phone lines are threaded. (Almost 200,000 Minnesotans still have landline phones.)
Cold Weather Protection and Weatherization
As cold weather sets in, I want to share a quick reminder that Minnesota’s “cold weather rule” is now in effect, which protects residents from having their electric or natural gas service shut off until April 30.
To ensure your service is safe from disconnection, you must make and keep a payment plan that you and your utility provider agree on. More information is available on the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s website.
Also, an initiative the state legislature strengthened in 2021 may help lower costs. While older homes have their charm, many homeowners needing basic home improvements like repairing windows, removing asbestos, repairing cracked foundations or siding often face challenges paying upfront for these pre-weatherization measures. Minnesotans using CenterPoint or Xcel Energy can schedule an appointment with the Home Energy Squad to visit their homes to identify low cost energy-saving solutions. Each visit is approximately two hours, and during that time, the Home Energy Squad will perform various energy-saving tests, inspect your insulation, heating and cooling systems, and water heater. Learn more here.
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