Dear Neighbor,
House Democrats went all the way to the Supreme Court to shut down the House and continue refusing to let us get to work by no-showing at the Capitol the first three weeks of the 2025 session.
It remains an absolute outrage that Democrats are boycotting the job they were elected to do, yet continue collecting a paycheck. Each day on the House floor I’ve offered a motion, as allowed by the Constitution, compelling absent members to be present and instituting penalties for those who do not comply. Secretary of State Steve Simon, who is presiding over the House until Democrats show up, continues overstepping his authority and refuses to hear my motions.
In short, Simon is illegally obstructing our ability to compel absent members as specifically stated in the Constitution. Because he refuses to allow a motion on the House Floor to hold Democrats accountable, we are taking legal action to make sure it happens. Democrats are obstructing House business, and it needs to stop.
You can find the filed Petition, Memorandum, and Declaration here.
While Democrats have shown they will go to any lengths to sabotage progress on the issues Minnesotans care about most, House Republicans continue doing the work of the people. This week, we hosted a press conference to cover a package of proposals we’ve assembled to make Minnesota safer. In all, there are 13 targeted provisions designed to equip law enforcement with the tools they need, ensure violent offenders are held accountable, and increase transparency in the criminal justice system. This includes:
- Mandatory minimum 10-year sentences for predators engaged in first-degree sex trafficking.
- Predatory offender registration required for offenders engaged in criminal sexual conduct who receive a stayed sentence from the courts.
- New and enhanced criminal offenses including blocking a freeway, highway, transit, or the road to and from the airport.
- Increased penalty for fleeing a police officer in a reckless manner.
- Increased penalties for individuals who conspire to trespass on or damage critical infrastructure such as pipelines, utility lines, and water lines.
- Increased penalties for assaulting a peace officer from a gross misdemeanor to a felony.
- Providing better access to the public on prosecutors’ charging and dismissal decisions, and court sentencing departures.
In addition to new tools for law enforcement and increased penalties for criminal conduct, the bill provides additional transparency to the practices of some criminal justice organizations that far too often provide a revolving door that puts criminals back onto the street without any public scrutiny.
More fraud
Yet another report on rampant fraud in Minnesota surfaced this week, underscoring another serious issue the House cannot formally address until Democrats show up for work. This time, KSTP unveiled disturbing revelations regarding the state Child Care Assistance Program. The investigation revealed that some of the top recipients of CCAP funds were cited for dozens of licensing violations while receiving millions in state funds, including one that had their conditional license status lifted in 2024.
The investigation also raised concerns that some of the state's largest CCAP recipients may be fraudulent, with no evidence of children or employees present during repeated visits despite receiving millions of dollars in CCAP funds for children purportedly currently enrolled in the program.
House Republicans are working on solutions to crack down on fraud but, again, it’s unfortunate the House Democrat legislative shutdown is delaying progress at the expense of taxpayers.
Until next time, have a good weekend and please stay in touch. Maybe House Democrats will show up for work one of these days.
Sincerely,
Harry