By Rep. Ben Davis
The 93rd Legislature under full Democrat control of the Capitol finally adjourned – and it couldn’t happen soon enough for many Minnesotans.
People are having buyer's remorse after realizing how much the radical left has taken over the Democrat party in both the House and Senate. Democrats spent the past two years enacting the far-left activists’ wish list on both fiscal and policy issues – and Gov. Tim Walz obliged.
Today’s Democrat Party is no longer your parents’ Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Here is a look at just some of what they did this biennium:
- HF 1 allows for abortion up until the moment of birth, and allows minor children to be sterilized without their parents' knowledge.
- HF 146 (Transgender sanctuary state for minors) allows performing gender mutilation on minors who live in other states with no permission needed by parents. (Any adult who brings a minor to Minnesota for “gender affirming care” is free from prosecution in Minnesota of kidnapping.)
- HF 181 compromises our First Amendment freedom of speech rights by adding a bias-speech registry managed/monitored by the state.
- HF 7 makes our power grid unaffordable, unreliable and unsafe by mandating our power to come from windmills and solar panels by 2040.
- HF 2073 gives illegals free college tuition in Minnesota.
- HF 4 issues driver’s licenses for all illegals (which may incentivize illegals to flood into our state).
- HF 3 conducts automatic voter registration for anyone getting a driver's license. This could pose massive election integrity issues when combined with the aforementioned HF 4.
- HF 4772 allows providing a description of where you live as opposed to a physical address for voter registration.
I have strong concerns today’s Democrat agenda is destroying our beloved state. Here is a list of Democrat bills that, thankfully, did not make it across the finish line this last session but will certainly be advanced if they retain full control of the Capitol:
- HF 2666 starts an 18-month program providing $500/month to individuals in guaranteed minimum income. This includes illegal immigrants, who meet certain income guidelines, through a $100 million appropriation that will need billions to continue.
- HF 0396 and HF 4300 violate our 2nd Amendment rights by restricting our right to bear arms IN OUR OWN HOME.
- HF 267 repeals the crime of knowingly transferring sexually transmitted diseases to another human being.
- HF 4590 adds a constitutional amendment to make Minnesota’s legislature full-time.
- HF 2860 makes Minnesota a sanctuary state for illegals.
We haven’t even mentioned the Democrats’ relentless attack on religious freedoms. Or how they blew through the state’s $18 billion surplus, raised taxes by almost $10 billion and grew government by nearly 40% while –while spending $730 million on renovating the State Office Building for politicians.
Republicans will continue advocating a different set of priorities to help all Minnesotans, including:
- Making childcare more affordable for everyone by cutting unnecessary government mandates on childcare businesses.
- Allowing independent school districts more flexibility to put their financial resources to best use in educating children and ending the metro-centric, one-size-fits-all approach to public education.
- Refining the Governor’s Emergency Powers so they can no longer be abused to violate our civil and religious liberties.
- Reducing taxes for the hard-working middle class and downsizing government while fully funding nursing homes and critical EMS services for our rural areas.
- Developing energy independence by repealing the nuclear moratorium for true clean and reliable energy.
- Protecting children and families by empowering parental rights and education freedom.
- Making Minnesota a mining-friendly state and adding permitting reform for mining.
- Restoring law and order and supporting our brave men and women in law enforcement.
- Honoring our veterans with better benefits and healthcare.
- Conducting fair and honest elections for legal citizens.
- Cutting unreasonable and unnecessary mandates on our farmers and job creators.
- Stopping the countless attacks on our constitutional rights.
It’s time to bring balance back to our state government. It’s not too late for Minnesota to turn things around.
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