Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Legislative News and Views - Rep. Harry Niska (R)

Back to profile

Legislative update

Friday, March 24, 2023

Dear Neighbor,

Let's start today’s newsletter with a shout-out to the Andover boys basketball team. Congratulations to the Huskies for winning the section championship and advancing to this week’s state tournament!

In other news:

Democrat budget

The House and Senate majorities and Gov. Tim Walz this week announced they have agreed to a spending plan that would increase Minnesota’s budget by almost $18 billion for the next two-year budget cycle. They are spending the $17.5 billion surplus – and more – which represents an increase of almost 40 percent to the state’s current $52 billion biennial budget, with a new spending total of $71.9 billion.

Tax relief accounts for just a small fraction of their budget proposal, and Democrat leaders have not committed to fully repealing the state tax on Social Security. Yet, despite a $17.5 billion surplus, they are committed to increasing sales taxes and license tab fees.

Overall, this budget is a reflection of how some legislators have become all too comfortable with their one-party rule. Instead of listening to Minnesotans and proposing a responsible budget with meaningful tax relief, they are going on a spending spree. Brace yourself for the tax hikes – they will be necessary to pay for this partisan wish list.

This will be an ongoing topic of discussion this session as we continue sorting through the details of this proposal and examine the specifics.

More extreme policy in House

We continue seeing short-term political power running roughshod over good governance at the Capitol. This has been a session-long theme, where a Democrat party enjoying a razor-thin trifecta of power continues pushing extreme positions supported by very few.

From radical abortion policy resembling that of radical regimes in China and North Korea, to an energy plan that is unreliable, unaffordable and dangerous, and mandates that threaten to cripple our state’s economy, it’s been a steady stream of the extreme.

More examples arose this week, including a bill House Democrats passed in the wee hours this morning making Minnesota a sanctuary state for transgender healthcare – for children.

I was a “no” vote on this bill in large part because it fails to include any reasonable guardrails to protect kids. This proposal undermines the rights of parents and gives others authority over these life-long, life-changing decisions for children. It will make Minnesota a magnet for child custody victims.

The Democrat language prohibits Minnesota from recognizing or enforcing laws from other states that allow a child to be removed from a parent’s home because the child received gender-affirming health care, a clear violation of our oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause, which compels states to respect the laws of other states. The bill also allows temporary emergency jurisdiction to be awarded in cases of gender affirming healthcare, prohibits Minnesota from complying with out-of-state subpoenas related to individuals coming to Minnesota for gender affirming health care, and prohibits the arrest or recognition of any demand for extradition of someone who came to Minnesota for gender affirming care.

In addition, House Democrats recently approved legislation that would change the Minnesota Board of Public Defense from a majority appointed by the court to a majority appointed by the governor. This would take what should be a nonpartisan appointment process and place it directly in the hands of a partisan politician. There are good reasons this board was set up the way it was but, again, it’s another move by Democrats to exert their short-term slim majority by eliminating checks and balances and causing long-term damage.

Yet another extreme bill which House Democrats approved on the floor this week prevents the release of patient medical records if someone was the subject of a civil or criminal subpoena in a different jurisdiction as a result of getting an abortion.

This bill effectively will make Minnesota a destination in the Midwest for extreme abortion laws have no guardrails to protect women and minors. As more states in our region enact stricter abortion laws, Minnesota will be an island in the upper Midwest for unlimited access.

The broad, sweeping language of this bill will lead to expensive litigation that will cost Minnesota’s taxpayers. There are serious concerns that sections of this bill also violate the Full Faith and Credit Clause. We are telling other states that even if you get a judgment in your other state, if we in the state of Minnesota don’t agree with it, we’re not enforcing it, but just on this one issue because we believe so strongly in our most extreme abortion policy in the entire country that we are going to strike against our constitutional order.

Minnesota has a proud history of standing for our constitutional union and this bill does the exact opposite.

Education meeting

Thank you to everyone who participated in the local roundtable recently conducted to discuss education issues. I appreciate the input as we face important decisions on this subject this session.

One major takeaway from this meeting is that a lack of classroom discipline is resulting in more and more safety concerns in our classrooms and on busses. There are many layers to this issue, but the bottom line is our schools need to be places where students should be in a safe and comfortable learning environment; it’s the least we can do for our children. Instead, growing violence and other unacceptable behavior has eroded that basic principle and we need to do better.

New funding the Democrat majorities and Gov. Walz plan to provide for education could help bolster understaffed classrooms and help nip this problem. Unfortunately, mandates they are proposing for our state could end up costing our local districts more than the additional funding they may receive.

Watch for more soon and, as always, your input is welcome.

Sincerely,

Harry