Legislative Update 03.07.25

Legislative Update

Hello friends,

It has been a busy week at the Capitol! We held a rally for HF12, voted on several bills, and got the budget forecast on Thursday. There is a lot to unpack, so thank you for taking the time to read!

Updates from the Capitol

My bills:

HF6 - Education Priority Bill. Although I am not the chief author, this bill is our most important and holistic education bill. 

HF629 - Bonding for Blooming Prairie

HF630 - Extension of Short-Call Substitute Teacher Program. This bill is expected to have a hearing on Tuesday in the Education Policy Committee. 

HF877 - Amending the Read Act. This bill had a hearing on Wednesday. 

HF1128 - Requiring public high schools to participate in the direct admissions program

HF1170 - Bonding for the Minnesota BioImaging Center of the Hormel Institute

HF1178 - Bonding for the Mower County FAARM program

HF1381 - Out-of-field permissions exempted from limit on renewals

HF1456 - Austin; local sales and use tax authorized

HF1538 - Teacher apprenticeships funding provided, report required, and money appropriated. This bill is expected to have a hearing this upcoming Thursday in the Education Finance Committee.

HF1959 - Teacher preparation program grant eligibility modified. This bill is expected to have a hearing on Tuesday in the Education Policy Committee.

HF1960 - Displaced homemaker programs funding provided, and money appropriated.

Mueller Minute

In this weeks Mueller Minute, I talk about committee work, HF12, and the fiscal cliff we are on the edge of. Check out the video to hear all the details.

February Budget Forecast

The February budget forecast was released yesterday by Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB), which shows a shrinking surplus for the 2026-2027 biennium, and a deficit of nearly $6 billion for 2028-2029.

This budget deficit is a direct result of Democrat spending over the last two years. They squandered an $18 billion surplus, raised taxes by over $10 billion, and grew government by over 40%. Their misguided priorities cost Minnesota taxpayers immensely; hurting businesses, schools, and people. We are now on the edge of this fiscal precipice and we must redirect quickly. Rather than raising taxes AGAIN to get ourselves out of this hole, we must take a common-sense approach and reign in government spending to resolve the effects of the Democrats financial irresponsibility.

The chart below shows our spending compared to revenue, highlighting that spending has outpaced revenue since 2023 and is projected to continue that way.

SWCD Meetings

I got the chance to meet with people from several of our local Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCD). It was great to connect and talk about the ins and outs of your jobs, and what I can do to help. Thank you for taking the time to visit!

Steele County SWCD

Mower County SWCD

Freeborn County SWCD

Sonnesyn Elementary School Visit

I love visiting our schools, and it was great to see the students at Sonnesyn Elementary School this week. The science of reading was clearly at work and these second graders are flourishing in the classroom!

Events

Riverland Community College Empty Bowls Fundraiser: Today, Friday, March 7th. 6:00 - 7:30pm.

St. Finbarr Fish Fry: Friday, March 14th, 4:30 - 7:00 pm

Smashing Cancer Demo Derby: Saturday, March 15th, 1pm. Mower County Fairground.

Benefit for Ehmke House Fire: Saturday, March 15th, 2pm

Bingo: Saturday, March 15th. 7pm at Dexter Fire Hall. 

Lost in Austin: The band Lost in Austin will be at the What's Up Bar on Saturday, March 15th from 7 - 10pm.

Save the date: Blooming Prairie Education Foundation's annual auction will be on Saturday March 29th!

Shoutouts

Congratulations to MN State HS Champion Robotics teams 7225F Southland Avalanche and 8110A Restart! What an impressive season!

Congratulations to Austin High School wrestler Sam Winkels on winning 2nd place in the state tournament!

Congratulations also to Blooming Prairie High School wrestler on his 2nd place win in the state tournament as well!

Congratulations to Austin High School swimmer Brent Dahl on being named the 2025 Section 1A Swimmer of the Year. Way to go, Brent!

Congratulations to Austin Police Officer Damien Schroeder for his heroic acts on February 4th this year, acting quickly and bravely during a house fire to save victims from the flames. Thank you sincerely for your service, Officer Schroeder.

Congratulations to our 4-H Rabbit Project Bowl teams that earned their ticket to the State Project Bowl in April. I am cheering you on!

Shoutout to Lydia Masara and Mary Awi from Austin High School for each winning a Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth scholarship. They will each get to take a two-week class they are interested in attending at Macalester College.\

Shoutout to Grand Meadow band students Gabby Tangren, Cloey Breitbarth, Rowan Sween, Kaylee Davis, and Sadie Bustad for their participation in the Luther College Band Festival over the weekend.

Congratulations to the Riverland Blue Devils for advancing to the national championship for basketball! They will face off with Salem Community College on March 12th at 4pm ET. 

Please Contact Me

Please continue to reach out if I can be of any assistance to you. You can reach me by phone at 651-296-4193 or by email at rep.patricia.mueller@house.mn.gov 

Have a great weekend!