Dear Neighbor,
Greetings from the House. Before we get to official business, I want to mention Lenten fish fries have started back at home and I can’t wait to get to as many as I can. Hope to see you there!
Here are my latest legislative notes:
My bill on sex trafficking passes House
The bill I authored to crack down on sex trafficking at adult entertainment businesses and massage parlors passed the House without opposition, 132-0 on Thursday!
Sex trafficking has been a public safety issue in the St. Cloud area, including at a Waite Park massage parlor. People have come to Minnesota to set up sex trafficking business while posing as a legitimate businesses. Some of them have criminal records elsewhere that have gone undetected by Minnesota officials. That is because current state law limits law enforcement agencies to conducting only Minnesota criminal background checks on massage license applications.
My bill (H.F. 286) expands the scope allowing for national searches, strengthening the process. Allowing national searches to take place would help us learn if a person had a previous arrest in another state that would disqualify the applicant from receiving a license to operate an adult entertainment business or massage parlor in Minnesota.
This is one of those issues where House members set partisanship aside and just focused on doing what’s right for Minnesotans. It’s refreshing and I’m glad to see my bill receive such strong support from both sides of the aisle.
I cannot say “thank you” enough to all the people who have come to St. Paul to support this bill or assisted in other ways. Your contributions inspire me to keep working to get this legislation across the finish line and into law.
St. Paul meetings
I have enjoyed continuing to meet with a whole host of people in St. Paul, including:
St. Cloud city engineer
CentraCare behavioral medical directors
Clinical Art Day
New economic forecast
The state received a new economic forecast this week. It shows a $456 million projected balance for 2026-27, down $160 million from previous estimates. The projected general fund shortfall for the 2028-29 biennium is now $6 billion – $852 million worse than November estimates and nearly a state-record deficit.
State spending growth outpaces revenue growth through projections for fiscal year 2029, MMB indicates. It’s a dose of reality after Democrats in full control of the Capitol last biennium spent the state’s $18 billion surplus, raised taxes by $10 billion and increased the state budget by 40 percent with the budget they set in 2023.
It’s good that our economic outlook is in the black for the near future, but that does not hide the fact we need to make some common-sense changes to prevent a massive shortfall in the future. We can’t continue to take more from families and businesses already struggling with rising costs. With House Republicans having broken up one-party control, we now can take a more balanced approach to budgeting this session.
I look forward to addressing this issue and working toward a bipartisan solution that serves all Minnesotans. This is a big mess to clean up, but we can get it done if we keep our eye on the ball and focus on doing what’s best for the people of our state.
House minority blocks Preserving Girls Sports Act
Thank you to District 14A constituents (above) and Riley Gaines (pictured below), a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer and girls sports advocate, for coming to St. Paul this week for a rally supporting the Preserving Girls Sports Act.
House Republicans on Monday brought forward the Preserving Girls Sports Act (H.F. 12), which supports safe and fair competition for girls in school-sanctioned athletics.
It’s too bad House Democrats blocked this bill because, by doing so, they undermined safety and fairness for female athletes. They also went against what most Minnesotans want. Polls show around 80 percent of people agree with the bill’s position, including 67 percent of Democrats.
People I talk with can’t understand how allowing biological males to compete in girls competitions is OK. There are so many obvious reasons to support this bill that it should have received overwhelming support in passing. Instead, the folks across the aisle put girls at risk and also undermined progress we have made through Title IX and other initiatives over the course of decades.
A simple internet search shows produces numerous articles indicating girls are being physically injured while participating with biological males in female athletics – from skull fractures and broken legs, to having teeth knocked out. In addition, a study conducted by the United Nations found that as of March 30, 2024, 600 female athletes have lost 890 medals across 29 different sports worldwide to transgender men that are competing in their events.
This is not a partisan issue. This bill is about fairness, safety and preserving girls sports in Minnesota. It is common sense. It is sad some House members played politics by siding with the activists and putting girls at risk instead of standing with the overwhelming majority of Minnesotans on this issue. The silver lining is House Republicans tabled the bill after Democrats voted against it, keeping it available for future reconsideration.
Helpful House links
Here are some links you may find helpful in following the latest goings on at the Capitol:
Please Contact Me
It’s an honor and privilege to work for you at the Capitol. Don’t hesitate to contact my office at any time this session to share your thoughts, concerns or ideas. You can call me at 651-296-6316, or email me at rep.bernie.perryman@house.mn.gov. I am here to serve you!
Bernie
