 Friends and Neighbors, We are nearing the end of the legislative session, but we are not yet finished with our business. There are a few areas where we have not been able to move forward due to some controversial sticking points. KEEP FUNDING ILLEGAL ALIEN FREE HEALTH INSURANCE? Illegal aliens are able to receive MinnesotaCare for free – paid for 100% by Minnesota’s taxpayers - because illegal aliens do not qualify for federal matching funds. That’s not right. The original estimate suggested roughly 7,000 people would qualify over four years. Less than two years in, 17,800 illegal aliens are receiving free health care in Minnesota. And that number is rising. Why wouldn't you move to Minnesota if you were in that position to get free health care, paid for by taxpayers. The cost to Minnesotans is expected to be around $550 million. It's unacceptable, and that's a real sticking point that needs to be resolved before a health budget moves forward. NO MOVEMENT IN ENERGY I sit on the House energy committee, and there’s been no movement whatsoever. Democrats are very proud of all of the costly mandates they approved last year, especially for wind and solar energy. Currently we have a renewable energy development account, funded by Xcel Energy off the backs of electricity ratepayers. It currently holds $32 million. We offered to split that up equally, where Democrats could do what it wanted with $16 million and Republicans would do the same with $16 million, and our plan was to give that money back to ratepayers. Democrats said no way, so the gridlock in energy continues. PAID FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE HURTING SCHOOLS AND BUSINESES In the labor committee, one of the big sticking points that's still under a large amount of consideration is paid family medical leave. This is a huge expense to those impacted, whether it’s small or large business, schools and counties, and they are at financial risk. For example, the cost of this program is so significant that businesses will be forced to raise prices on their products in order to pay for it. Schools are telling us they will be cutting teachers and staff due to paid family medical leave. And counties will be forced to raise property taxes to make the numbers work. See where I’m going here? YOU will ultimately pay for the cost of this paid family medical leave program in a variety of different ways. It’s unacceptable, but this is the way Democrats view government: we pass the expensive new law, and if we can’t raise state taxes to pay for it, we’ll pass the costs onto others. Rest assured, we have a few committees that are still fighting hard for Minnesota’s taxpayers, and the citizens of Minnesota, to make sure that they're treated fairly and that their tax dollars are spent wisely. TRANSPORTATION FINANCE BILL APPROVED IN MINNESOTA HOUSE This week, the Minnesota House approved a transportation finance proposal. I spoke on the House floor about some of the positive provisions found in the bill, including changes to building roads that will result in long-term economic savings. To hear more about this, please click on the picture below to watch my House floor speech.  Have a good weekend, Tom |