WHAT’S NEW
It’s always fun to see local residents at the State Capitol! This week, Senator Drazkowski and I had the pleasure of meeting with the Cannon Falls Homeschool Co-op who came to visit with us and tour the building.
I was also able to meet with members of the Red Wing Chamber of Commerce. Jim Ross, Michelle Larson, Tom Pasch, Ross Lexvold, and Becca Spain were in St. Paul to take part in Minnesota Chamber Day at the Capitol.
LEGISLATION HIGHLIGHTS
This week, the omnibus proposals from two of the committees I serve – elections and energy – received House floor debates. Neither are good bills.
ELECTIONS BILLS BENEFIT DEMOCRATS
Last week, House Democrats moved forward with Phase 1 of its ‘Keep Democrat's in Power’ election bills. This bill will regulate campaign speech, limit engagement in the political process, and threaten election integrity with automatic voter registration when you sign up for a driver’s license. This is truly problematic when you consider the Democrats also passed legislation that allows illegal immigrants to apply for a driver’s license. It also creates a permanent absentee voter list. Voters who register for the list will receive absentee ballots automatically and not a registration form for the absentee ballots. What could possibly go wrong?
This week, the omnibus elections bill was rolled into our state government finance bill. It is a continuation of the Democrats’ most partisan election bill in history.
This proposal would put Minnesota in the National Popular Vote compact, which, if enacted would give our electoral votes to the presidential candidate deemed to have won the most individual votes nationally. It increases the threshold for obtaining major political party status from five percent to ten for the number of votes received at an election. And it repeals the eligibility requirements so that anyone—including illegal immigrants —may participate in party caucuses.
Election bills have always been bipartisan, but with Democrats in full control of state government, thoughts of cooperation are long gone. Republicans want accountability and transparency in the process. There’s a reason the public’s confidence in our voting system is declining, and partisan elections bills only make matters worse.
During the House floor debate, I offered two amendments that would only allow legal Minnesota citizens take part in the caucus process, and would remove a mandate that would force businesses to allow employees to take additional time off to go and vote early.
ENERGY
You’ll recall earlier this session, Democrats approved the “blackout bill,” which forces utilities to generate or acquire 100 percent carbon free energy by the year 2040. That means nothing but wind and solar power. A report from the Center of the American Experiment (CAE) estimates this move to 100 percent carbon free electricity by 2040 will cost $313 billion, or nearly $3,900 per family per year.
With that in mind, House Democrats approved their omnibus energy bill this week as well. This bill imposes numerous expensive mandates, and those costs will be passed directly along to ratepayers.
Democrats also want to give millionaires in Minnesota $2,500 for purchasing an electric vehicle. Low-income Minnesotans receive only $500 more than the wealthy. We shouldn’t be subsidizing expensive vehicles for the rich.
This energy bill picks winners and losers while increasing costs. While it might make solar developers like Warren Buffet rich, it will make life more difficult for families, small businesses and farmers. Prime agricultural land is being bought out by major solar investors, complete with government subsidies. This drives up land prices and livestock food for farmers, prevents new farmers from getting off the ground, and ultimately drives up the cost of food.
Remember, only 2% of our state’s energy is currently produced by solar.
We should be pursuing energy policy that is affordable, reliable, and safe. The mandates in this bill are the opposite. It is unacceptable that Democrats want to raise energy costs at a time when Minnesota family budgets are already stretched thin.