Dear Neighbor,
It’s been another busy week of omnibus finance bills at the House, with the majority continuing to approve budget packages that, together, will increase state spending by 40 percent and raise taxes by billions of dollars despite a $19 billion surplus.
Here are some of this week’s notes:
National Popular Vote
In a previous newsletter, I touched on an elections bill (H.F. 3) House Democrats approved last week which empowers certain voices and silence others in our free marketplace of ideas protected by the First Amendment.
House Democrats approved another bill (H.F. 1830) this week with elections provisions that muzzle Minnesotans another way – by implementing National Popular Vote in our state. This would have significant consequences by committing our state awarding its electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote – ceding shares of Minnesota’s voting power to more populous states that have many times more the residents than ours.
National Popular Vote is unworkable, potentially leading to a constitutional crisis. We do not have a national election system; we have a federal system, with 51 different systems entailing different criteria for who gets to vote and who doesn’t. Each state has adopted procedures for their own reasons, tied to efforts to balance concerns about election security and voting rights.
States also have different recount procedures, but no procedure for a national recount so, if states adopt Ranked Choice Voting for presidential elections, there could be a huge morass. The proposal also arguably creates a legal interest in each state to challenge Presidential election returns in every other state, with no clear enforcement mechanism.
Pulling the plug on electronic pull tabs?
We expect an omnibus tax bill to come to the floor as soon as next week and there are some major concerns aside from tax increases themselves. For example, a provision Democrats slipped into the bill late in the process effectively would end electronic pull tabs as we know them.
Language in the majority’s omnibus tax bill (H.F. 1938) eliminates the “open all” feature that has been in use in electronic pull-tab games for years. This move would diminish charitable gaming funds these popular games produce, compromising a critical revenue source for local charities ranging from veteran organizations to youth sports teams, Main Street business partners and beyond.
This proposal would do a great disservice to organizations that help our local communities so much. I’m hearing directly from local groups that are expressing major concerns over what this ill-advised proposal would mean for them. One such letter I received indicates this change “will limit their ability to invest in the community through initiatives like buying new equipment to help keep our first responders safe and able to respond to our community needs.”
Anoka Ramsey Athletic Association President Dustin Reeder joined me in the House chamber as a personal guest for the governor's State of the State Address on Wednesday (pictured avove). The ARAA is one of many organizations that would be damaged by this provision and it’s hard to fathom why House Democrats would want to throttle down revenue for groups like this that do so much good.
In 2022 alone, electronic pull tabs generated almost $2 billion in revenue that was then invested into communities. Without this critical revenue stream, much of the charitable efforts Minnesotans currently benefit from would not be possible.
House Democrats either don’t realize, or don’t care, they are taking important funding away from organizations that provide so many healthy outlets for our children at a time families need all they can get. Not only that, but electronic pull tabs have been a good draw for local establishments, attracting customers at a time when they are working to recover from revenue lost during the pandemic and amid higher prices in today’s economy. This would be just another setback, caused by Democrats in St. Paul.
I continue working with House Democrats to remove this provision from the tax bill, but it's critical that legislators hear directly from charities, bars, restaurants, service clubs, and other community organizations so they understand just how serious the consequences would be if this provision is passed. This ARAA link has more information about that, along with details on how important this stream of revenue is to their operations.
Bipartisan veterans bill
In a departure from the majority’s highly partisan norm this session, a veterans and military affairs finance package the House passed this week is an example of good work that can be done when there’s a willingness to put partisanship aside and do what’s right.
The bill (H.F. 1937) funds state’s National Guard members and veterans after their service to our state and nation concludes, with omnibus appropriations for the state’s next two-year budget cycle. It passed on a 131-0 vote and is now in the hands of the Senate.
Overall, the bill provides $367.7 million for programs to help veterans over the 2024-25 biennium, a $167 million (52%) increase. This includes $73.3 million for the Dept. of Military Affairs and $294.3 million for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs. This includes operational funding for three new veterans homes constructed in Bemidji, Montevideo and Preston.
Dems target faith-based institutions
Omnibus finance legislation (H.F. 2497) related to education came to the House floor last night and House Democrats approved it. Among other concerns, I object to Democrat language in the bill unconstitutionally targeting two specific faith-based institutions in the Post-secondary Enrollment Option Program. Specifically, the bill prohibits postsecondary institutions from asking for statements of faith or making enrollment decisions based on race, creed, ethnicity, disability, gender, or sexual orientation or religious beliefs prohibited for admission to postsecondary institutions.
I voted against the bill and was proud to stand on the House floor to speak for religious freedom and against the DFL majority’s direct attack of some institutions in the PSEO program. Click here for the full video.
Watch for more from the Capitol as things unfold during the last month of the 2023 session and, as always, your input is welcome.
Sincerely,
Harry