Legislative UpdateDear friends and neighbors, Let’s face it, we knew the good weather was too good to be true. False Springs are just part of life in Minnesota. Thankfully, it looks like after our snowstorm on Tuesday night, we will be moving back to warm temperatures today and this weekend, so the snow won’t stick around long. Even better news, we may even hit almost 60F on Tuesday next week. Aside from the weather, it’s been yet another busy week in St. Paul as we try to make up for the one month of work lost at the beginning of session due to certain members not showing up for work. We have continued to work on fraud prevention, including my bill, we fought to protect girls’ sports, and we gained some new insight into how bad the state of the Minnesota economy is after two years of full Democrat control of our state. New Budget Forecast Provides Grim OutlookLast November, the state budget forecast predicted that Minnesota would reach a $5.1 Billion deficit by the 2028-29 biennium. This comes after two full years of Democrat control where they spent the entirety of an $18 billion surplus, raised taxes by $10 billion, and grew the scope of government by 40%. That means that since 2022, we have lost over $23 billion, much of which was one-time spending, now bringing our state into a deficit. Make no mistake, this was preventable. Unfortunately, the news only gets worse. This morning, a new forecast was released that shows we may be even worse off than the November forecast predicted. Now, instead of $5 Billion in the hole, the state is headed to a $6 billion deficit by Fiscal Year 2028-2029 and the projected balance for 2026-2027 is now $160 million lower that the previous projection. So while Democrats will continue to try and blame the Trump Administration and Federal cuts, these numbers are predicted before those cuts even have gone into effect. We have a lot of work to do to get the state back on track. Protecting Girls’ SportsOn Monday, we heard HF12, the Preserving Girls’ Sports Act, and welcomed 12-time All-American swimmer and girls' sports advocate Riley Gaines for a rally at the Capitol. It was an honor to meet her, and one moment stood out—when she stepped to the podium flanked by eight armed state troopers and said: “How crazy is it that you have to walk down the steps with an entourage of security for saying something as simple as men and women are different.” She’s right. It’s unbelievable that this basic truth is now controversial. Women's sports exist because men and women are biologically different. Without protections like HF12, women's athletics will be erased. If men can compete in women's sports, it’s no longer women’s sports—it’s co-ed. Despite overwhelming public support (80% of voters, including 67% of Democrats), not a single Democrat voted for this bill. All 67 Republicans stood in defense of girls' sports, but 68 votes were needed. For now, we’ve moved the bill to the table to keep this critical conversation alive. This fight isn’t over. You can watch Riley’s full speech here. Quick Update on HF1Work continues on my bill to create an Independent Office of the Inspector General to reign in the rampant fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars by the state government. This week, the bill made its way through a couple more committee stops in Children and Families and State Government. Protecting taxpayer dollars should be a bipartisan issue, and as this bill progresses, I’ve been working with Democrats to ensure this bill is well-written and will pass when it makes its way to the House Floor. This means that the process is a bit longer, but by the time it’s done, we should have a bill that will both stop and prevent fraud and have broad bipartisan support. Closing ThoughtsAs we move forward, my focus remains on fiscal responsibility, government accountability, and protecting our values. Whether it’s fighting to preserve girls’ sports, exposing the consequences of reckless spending, or pushing for real fraud prevention, I’m committed to standing up for Minnesotans. There’s a lot of work ahead, but with your support and engagement, we can steer our state back in the right direction. As always, I appreciate hearing from you—please don’t hesitate to reach out with your thoughts or concerns. Enjoy the warmer weather, and have a great weekend! |