Dear neighbor,
Minnesota’s 2024 legislative session began Monday and the biggest question right now is just how far Democrats will use their razor-thin, one-party control to push their extreme agenda on Minnesotans this year.
I hope people in our area are paying close attention to what’s going on at the Capitol.
Last year, Democrats used their one-party control to spend the $17.5 billion surplus, raise taxes by $10 billion, allow abortions up until the moment of birth, continue destroying our mining industry, empower criminals, undermine our Second Amendment rights and more.
Then there is the continued Democrat fascination with creating new ways to end life as they follow up their radical abortion laws by pushing assisted-suicide legislation.
I continue pushing back against the Democrats’ radical proposals at every turn as a voice for our best interests. We need more balance in St. Paul.
One of the very first things we need to do this session is fix the problem Democrats created by changing state law to restrict how school resource officers may de-escalate aggressive or violent situations. This has caused SROs to be pulled from schools around our state and, while Democrats are finally acknowledging the danger they are causing students, teachers and staff, it remains to be seen whether they are serious about enacting real solutions or if it will be more of their tired cosmetics to save political face.
So far, it’s been the latter. On the very first day of this session, House Republicans made a motion to suspend the rules to bring forward a Democrat bill (HF3489) to resolve the SRO issue. Unfortunately, the majority blocked this motion to take prompt action and is delaying legislation that is needed to fix this serious public safety issue.
We understand a portion of the majority caucus is bent on defunding the police and maybe would rather not fix this dangerous situation they created in our schools. That just makes it all the more important for Democrats to actually work with Republicans on a real solution so we can put this issue behind us without any more unnecessary delays. Schools, students, and law enforcement have been waiting for months to find resolution that returns SROs to their posts, ensuring school safety. Republicans will continue working until a real fix is passed and 100% of SROs are back in schools.
The early part of the session is heavy on drafting bills and introducing them so they can enter the preliminary stages of the legislative process. One bill I’ve been working on would bring some common sense and consistency to search-and-rescue efforts. The way it is now, the state provides local law enforcement agencies with partial reimbursements for water rescues. The state does not, however, reimburse those same agencies for rescues on ice.
In other words, two rescues taking place on the same body of water just weeks apart could be treated differently, with reimbursement provided for an October mission but not for one in, say, November. This is a burden for our local outfits, especially during winters such as this one where ice may be less safe. I’ve been working with sheriffs in our region and beyond to get this legislation in order and I look forward to building support for it.
I will be back with more from the House soon. Until then, please let me know how I can help.
Sincerely,
Ben