Dear Neighbors,
It was an incredibly busy week in St. Paul, and it’s still not done, as we have debated and voted on eight omnibus bills with another scheduled for today, Monday.
Instead of giving you a recap of each bill, I thought it would be best to be concise and instead give you a high overview of the general themes that we saw across each of these omnibus bills. If you have any questions on a specific bill, please feel free to reach out to me to chat. It would be great to speak with you!
While there were provisions in each of these bills that I would support on their own merits, the sum of each bill simply did not do enough to convince me to vote “yes”.
The common theme across most bills was a desire to raise taxes and create more regulations despite a $4 billion state budget surplus. In a year where so many families and businesses have struggled, Minnesotans simply can’t afford new tax increases.
Despite my “no” votes last week, I am hopeful that these bills will return from conference committee much improved and that I will be able to vote “yes” on final passage sometime in May.
Fighting for the Northland
I offered a handful of amendments last week to protect and grow jobs in the Northland.
The first would make it the policy of the state of Minnesota to support the health and expansion of the logging industry.
You can watch debate on that amendment here.
A healthy logging industry is an important part of our history and should be a big part of our future as well and is an important part of healthy forest management.
Sadly, the amendment was ruled out of order on a procedural motion.
A second amendment was offered to the Climate/Energy Omnibus bill that would declare Minnesota a mining friendly state.
Watch debate on this amendment here.
Now and into the future, critical minerals and metals like iron, copper, nickel, cobalt, and more will be needed to build electric vehicles, cell phones, and help build the economy of the future.
It makes no sense to outsource the excavation of these resources to rival nations that have zero environmental or labor standards.
Let’s mine safely here at home with family wage jobs, the best labor standards, and world-class environmental regulations while adding billions to our school trust fund and growing tax revenues for our state.
Once again, the amendment was ruled out of order by the DFL majority.
Staying in Touch
As your representative, it is my duty to listen to your thoughts, questions, and concerns regarding state government. Please do not hesitate to contact me, it would be great to chat. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-4936 or via email at rep.spencer.igo@house.mn.
Have a great day,
Spencer
8.7.3