Hello from St. Paul,
On Thursday, Democrats ended their shutdown of the Minnesota House and returned to work in St. Paul. House Republican and Democrat leadership worked out a compromise and agreed on how things would operate over the next two years.
They include having a Republican House speaker for both the 2025 and 2026 sessions; the creation of a new committee - that will have a Republican majority - that will investigate fraud within state government; and a Republican majority on all House committees at least until a special election is held for a Metro Area House seat that is currently unoccupied.
To me, the Democrat shutdown did not make sense and only punished the people of Minnesota. With this stunt behind us, it’s now time to get to work on the priorities that matter to you.
GOVERNOR WALZ’S EDUCATION IDEAS PROBLEMATIC
Even though we were unable to officially organize prior to Thursday, I have been attending meetings for transportation, K-12 Education and capital investment. In our Education Policy group, we reviewed the Governor’s budget. His proposed cuts to education are concerning.
Governor Walz’s budget would provide cuts to teacher pay, professional development and services to children with special needs. It would also deny certain textbooks to school-age children, yet it would give more money to state bureaucrats to micromanage our schools. Republicans will continue to work towards solutions that prioritize the needs of local schools – not an already bloated state government.
LOCAL VISITORS
Last week I had the opportunity to meet with some educators during Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Education Day at the Capitol.
I learned about happenings at the Minnesota West - Jackson campus as well as how FFA will be expanding at the St. James School.
It was also great to have A.B.A.T.E visitors here as well.
We discussed the areas of concern they had for motorcyclists and some laws they had concerns with.
This week the University of Minnesota Extension Service had its day at the Capitol.
I was also able to meet Liv, who resides in Nobles County.
She shared her involvement in 4-H and the leadership opportunities it had given her. It was fun to visit and hear about her experiences and her plans for the future. I also was able to meet some of the U of MN Extension Services employees from Nobles County. They shared details on the regional partnerships they oversee and the benefits to the community.
Have a good weekend,
Marj