Legislative Update 3.20

Legislative Update 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As we approach the first and second deadlines, things are heating up in the Minnesota House of Representatives! The week began with passionate debate about a proposed constitutional amendment that would return surplus funds to taxpayers and continued with progress on bills in the Education Policy, Education Finance, and Labor and Workforce Development Committees. Please watch a short overview of the week here.

Minnesota House Back to a Tie

After last week’s special election in Roseville, the House is now evenly split, with 67 Republicans and 67 Democrats. This has resulted in a power-sharing agreement between the parties, which will ensure that future legislation must have bipartisan support to pass. Republicans will retain the Speakership, with Rep. Lisa Demuth continuing in this role. While committees will be co-chaired by both parties, the Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee will have a Republican chair and a 5-3 Republican majority.

This arrangement ensures that legislation reaching the House floor will need to be balanced and responsible, preventing the passage of partisan bills that don’t serve the broader needs of our state.

House File 4 – Returning Surplus to Taxpayers

On Monday, we debated House File 4, a constitutional amendment that would return a portion of any future surplus to the hardworking taxpayers who helped create it. During this debate, I discussed a proposal that would help lower property taxes while increasing revenue. With taxpayers struggling and our state’s looming deficit, the importance of proposals like these cannot be overstated. You can see me discuss this proposal more in-depth here.

Education Bills Making Progress

I’m pleased to share that two of my education bills are gaining momentum. House File 1435, which expands local control and creates innovation zones for schools, received valuable feedback during a hearing. You can watch the discussion here. Another bill, House File 1803, aims to reduce paperwork for special education teachers, allowing them to focus more on teaching students. This bill has been laid over for consideration by the Education Policy Committee, and I’ll continue to keep you updated on its progress.

Youth Skills and Career Pathways

Thank you to Greystone Construction, Allstar Construction & Maintenance, Shakopee Chamber & Visitors Bureau, and others who came out in support of House File 2238. This bill would allow 16 and 17-year-old students the opportunity to gain valuable experience at a headquarters or training center in the construction industry to learn skills such as project management, drafting, sales/marketing, and interior design. Students would only be allowed to work at an office, not on a construction site or with dangerous tools. This legislation is incredibly important to the future employment outlook for Minnesota and provides a unique opportunity for kids to learn more about this potential career path. Please watch as I present this bill before the committee here, or you can watch the full hearing with testifiers here.

Let's Continue to Work Together

Thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to meet with me at the Capitol. These conversations are incredibly important to me as work on legislation. If you have any concerns or ideas you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or schedule an appointment to meet with me!