Dear Neighbor,
Before we get to the latest issues in St. Paul, I’d like to reiterate something I mentioned in my last newsletter regarding why I sometimes have been switching my vote to oppose legislation I clearly support.
House Republicans have 67 members, which is one more than the Democrats have but one less than the 68 votes required to pass a bill. Strict, party-line votes do not cut muster and a bill is stopped in its tracks.
Here’s where it gets tricky: There’s a legitimate parliamentary procedure House Republicans can use to “table” a bill and keep it at the front desk for future consideration instead of allowing it to be struck down in defeat. That’s where my vote comes into play. As Majority Leader, it is my job to switch my vote from “yea” to “nay” and join Democrats in voting against the Republican bill. That way, as a member of the prevailing side on a vote, I can make a motion to reconsider a bill and then immediately move to table it and keep our options open.
In short, the reason I am sometimes voting against Republican bills I fully support is to let them live to fight another day.
Here’s more from the Capitol:
State budget hole grows
State officials issued an updated economic forecast Thursday. It shows:
- A $456 million balance for 2026-27, down $160 million from previous estimates.
- A $6 billion shortfall for the 2028-29 biennium, $852 million worse than previous estimates and nearly a state-record deficit.
- State spending growth outpaces revenue growth through projections for fiscal year 2029, MMB indicates.
Our state’s crumbling bottom line is the direct result of reckless spending and unnecessary tax increases enacted by Democrats in full control of the Capitol the last two years. You don’t need to be an accountant to comprehend that blowing a state surplus and sending state spending into orbit is a recipe for disaster for our state budget.
Minnesota Democrats can try to shift blame and spin the problem they created as though it is a President Trump thing but, in reality, it is Democrats themselves who are responsible for driving our state’s budget into the ditch. Remember, we had a shortfall of more than $5 billion even before Donald Trump took office. This forecast is just more the receipts piling up on bad Democrat decisions in St. Paul.
The forecast figures will be used as the framework for putting a new two-year state budget in place before we are scheduled to adjourn in late May. There is a lot of work to do to get out of this hole Democrats put us in, and I look forward to the challenge.
Preserving Girls Sports Act
House Republicans on Monday brought the Preserving Girls Sports Act (H.F. 12) to the floor. It’s a bill which supports safe and fair competition for girls in school-sanctioned athletics, and polls show around 80 percent of people agree with this position.
The Preserving Girls Sports Act specifically states that only female students may participate in school sports restricted on the basis of sex to women or girls. If there is a dispute, a student must present a signed physician’s statement indicating the student’s sex is based solely on the student’s internal and external anatomy, natural occurring level of testosterone, and an analysis of the student’s chromosomes.
It’s unbelievable that we need to change law to say biological males should not be participating in girls sports. That said, if you care about girls and their ability to have safe and fair competition, you support this bill. It’s that simple.
Unfortunately, all 66 House Democrats once again made a partisan issue out of something that need not be controversial, voting to block this bill and placing girls at risk in the process. It’s another example of Democrats legislating as radical activists instead of voting to support the position held by a vast majority of Minnesotans.
The silver lining is this bill is one real-life example of switching my vote to table a bill after Democrats voted against it, saving it from defeat so we can take it up for discussion another day.
On a quick side note to close, congratulations to the Andover boys hockey team for advancing to the state tournament again this year. Good luck closing out the season strong after a tough loss in Round 1 yesterday.
Look for more from the Capitol soon. Until then, please stay in touch and let me know how I can help.
Sincerely,
Harry