Dear Neighbor,
Greetings from the House, where we are wrapping up another busy week at work and are looking forward to a joyous weekend celebrating that legendary Saint we all honor each March. You know, the incomparable St. Urho, who saved Finland from a grasshopper plague!
Hope to see you in your traditional green and purple, attending local celebrations, and enjoying food, music, and games this weekend. (Also, happy St. Patrick’s Day to those who will be celebrating that holiday on Monday.)
On another quick side note: Congratulations to the Anoka girls basketball team on a great season that culminated in a trip to the state Class 4A tournament. Nice job, Tornadoes!
As for House news:
House at full strength
The House will be back to full strength at 134 members and a 67-67 party split next week. There will be a balanced committee structure and bipartisan agreement will be required for the Rules Committee (which I am co-chairing) to place any bills on the calendar for a vote of the full body. That’s going to be a heavy lift the rest of the session, particularly as we look to put a new state budget in place with a $6 billion shortfall lurking on the horizon.
The good thing is the House has been working hard to catch up on time that was lost when House Democrats failed to show up for work the first few weeks of the session. Looking at odd-year comparisons, the 38 bills we moved to the floor’s General Registry eight weeks into the session is actually one more than the Democrats had at that point with full control of the Capitol in 2023. The 2017 bill introductions this year are nearly as many as 2023 and exceed previous years.
Fraud bills
This week the Minnesota House passed a bill to expand whistleblower protections for state employees who report government fraud or misuse of state and federal funds.
This legislation ensures that public employees can report misconduct without fear of retaliation, reinforcing transparency and accountability in state government.
While Minnesota already has whistleblower protections, this bill strengthens them by explicitly covering reports of fraud and financial misuse in state programs. H.F. 23 extends protections to all state employees, not just classified workers, and clearly defines reports of fraud and misuse as protected disclosures. It also broadens the list of authorities whistleblowers can report to, now including law enforcement and other government agencies.
The bill passed the House unanimously (133-0) and now heads to the Senate, where it has already received bipartisan support ahead of a vote.
As encouraging as the whistleblower bill was, it was equally disappointing to see Democrats vote down a bill (H.F. 3) which increases transparency and accountability within state agencies. House Democrats didn’t even provide strong objections, just basically voted it down for partisan purposes. In other words, House Democrats want you to think they are committed to stopping fraud, but when it comes time to do something, all we get are excuses.
Supporting women and children
House Republicans brought to the floor Thursday a pair of bills to support women and children:
- The Supporting Women Act (HF 25) restores a grant from 2005 called Positive Alternatives, which Democrats took away in 2023. The bill appropriates $8 million per two years to women’s pregnancy centers and maternity homes.
- The Born Alive Rollback (HF 24) extends legal protections to infants who are born alive after an abortion procedure. This bill would require that doctors protect the lives of infants under these adverse circumstances in the same way that they protect infants born under normal conditions.
It is disappointing Democrats voted down both of these bills.
Looking ahead
As soon as next week the full House could take a vote on a bipartisan bill I have authored to improve the Business Corporations Act, making our state a more attractive place to incorporate a business. I may discuss this in more detail soon.
Until next time, have a great weekend, and happy St. Urho’s Day (and a happy St. Patrick’s Day as well)!
Sincerely,
Harry