 Dear neighbors, I’m finishing this update over the July 4th weekend, just as President Trump’s big domestic budget bill has passed Congress and is being signed by the President. While I know there are some of you reading this who may be supportive of the bill, I am deeply troubled by it, because of the impact it will have on Minnesotans and our country. Here are my main concerns: - 200-250K Minnesotans losing their healthcare (16M nationwide) from the $1 trillion cuts to Medicaid. This will likely put rural hospitals, especially, at risk of closing and will drive up healthcare and health insurance costs for everyone else. You may hear that there is $50B in the bill to help rural hospitals, but this is not nearly enough to cover the loss in Medicaid money, and it only lasts five years. You may also hear that what they’re doing is kicking people off who aren’t working. However, that’s just not true. Already 92% of Medicaid recipients work and of the remaining, many of them can’t work because they are taking care of a family member, or are unable to work. Arkansas tried Medicaid work requirements in 2018 and it failed.
- Going backwards on climate change and clean energy. The bill basically repeals the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. That law was the first time the U.S. government had a climate policy that was at the scale of the problem we’re facing. This change is devastating, and the ones that are especially going to pay for it are our kids and grandkids. But what is even crazier, is it makes no economic sense. Renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy today. This bill is going to increase utility rates, estimates are 9% by 2030 and 17% by 2035 - an added $50B in annual costs for households and businesses. And renewable energy is one of the most exciting, fastest growth markets of this century, $1.4 trillion per year today growing to $2.5 trillion by 2033. With this bill, we’re pretty much ceding this market to China.
- Huge increase in the national debt for our kids to pay. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates it will increase the national debt by $3.4 Trillion over ten years. The libertarian Cato Institute thinks it could be closer to $6 trillion. We are borrowing from our kids’ future.
- All to primarily fund tax cuts for the wealthy. Why are all these cuts being done? To pay for a $5 trillion tax cut that especially favors the rich. This is a gigantic transfer of wealth from those who need it TO those who don’t.
- Huge increase in the budget for ICE. With $170 billion in new funding, ICE is going to now become the largest federal law enforcement agency in the history of the nation, potentially with enough funding to hire more law enforcement agents than the FBI and more detention capacity than the entire Federal Bureau of Prisons. Even if you approve of what ICE has been doing (and I do not), the scale of this amount is, I think, wasteful. Not to mention terrifying.
We will have to see if these federal changes blow a hole in the Minnesota budget we just passed for 2026-27. If so, it’s possible we could be back in another special session later this year. Honoring the HortmansThe lying-in-state ceremony for Melissa and Mark Hortman and their dog, Gilbert, on June 27th was beautiful and moving. I’m told that 7,500 people came through to pay their respects. And then the funeral on the 28th was so meaningful. The eulogies by Governor Walz and family friend Robin Ann Williams, as well as a short prayer read by the Hortman’s son Colin, were powerful. Robin closed her eulogy with this particularly memorable passage. “From Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet. ‘Some of you say joy is greater than sorrow, and others say, nay, sorrow is the greater. But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.’” “We are buried in sorrow right now, but I do believe that we will experience joy again. And Mark and Melissa would not want it any other way. Goodbye, my friends.” I’m sure you’ve all seen many photos by now, but here are a few I took:   TownhallThank you to the members of our community who joined Sen. Latz, Rep. Youakim, and me at our town hall last week. We discussed the legislative session, identified priorities for next year, and remembered our friends.   Session ReviewWhile it feels like forever ago, the one-day special session to pass the rest of our state budget concluded just a few weeks ago. I wanted to provide you links for more information on some of the final bills we passed, which reflected our closely divided government. Though in the end I supported all the budget bills we passed in our special session, in nearly all cases there were several provisions that, on their own, I would not have supported. But in a divided House, each side had to compromise. And I’m proud that we were able to get our job done and fund the government. I am also proud that DFLers stood up for nearly all of the progress we fought so hard for in 2023. We protected massively popular and needed legislation like paid family and medical leave, universal school meals, gun violence prevention laws, clean energy, and so much more. I voted in favor of the budget bills for Commerce, Energy, Environment and Natural Resources, Health, Children, and Families, Higher Education, Human Services, and K-12 Education. I also voted for a pair of Capital Investment bills that improve our state buildings, transportation, and water infrastructure. You can read about each of those bills in more detail and see the highlights at the linked articles from the House nonpartisan staff. The Transportation bill was problematic. You may remember, that coming off the House floor I voted against it especially because it delayed by 3 ½ years an incredibly important climate policy we passed, and I lead authored, in 2023. During the conference committee process with the Senate, we were able to remove that delay, so in the end I voted for the bill. However, it was a tough vote, because the bill also raises annual fees on electrical vehicles too high and cuts transit funding too much. New Laws that Just Took EffectSeveral new laws, mostly from this session, took effect on July 1st. You can read more about these new laws from the nonpartisan office of House Public Information here. Three Bills I Authored that PassedThere were three bills on which I was the lead author that passed this year. They are: HF1614: Hospital Boarding Does Not Mean Neglect - I have carried one bill every year that focuses on some aspect of mental health, as I think the area just doesn’t get nearly enough attention. This year, I worked with NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Health), on this bill. Sometimes, children facing complex mental health challenges end up boarding in an ER or hospital bed while waiting for services. Sadly, these are often kids that have reached a state where they could be a danger to themselves or to their families if they are sent back home. And yet, some hospitals are referring these families to child protection, which can put the families at risk of losing custody of the child or even other children. This law, which passed as part of the Children & Families budget bill, makes it not legal for a hospital to do this. The stories from families impacted are heart wrenching, so while I know this is not a solution to the problem of there not being enough beds and services available, I’m glad that we won’t be putting more pressure on families already dealing with difficult situations. HF1685: Making Transit Assistance More Accessible - This bill will make it easier for people to apply for reduced fares on Metro Transit. It instructs the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to work on providing a link to Metro Transit’s Transit Assistance Program to the MNbenefits website, where folks that are likely eligible go to get other benefits from the state (like SNAP food assistance). HF2130: DWI Ignition Interlock - I have shared information with you about this legislation quite a bit during this session, as it was one of my top priorities. It came about in response to the horrific tragedy in our community last year. The now law significantly increases the amount of time people with multiple DWI offenses are required to be on ignition interlock, extends the lookback period for offenses, and removes obstacles for offenders to get on interlock. Minnesota Commerce Department Disaster Response GuideGiven the increase in extreme weather in Minnesota (and so sadly around the country - the flash foods in Texas are horrific), I thought it might be helpful to share this with you. ??The Minnesota Department of Commerce, which provides consumers with protections and enforces insurance laws for the State of Minnesota, offers Minnesotans guidance on steps to take when filing an insurance claim after storms damage their home, business or other property from recent storms. Key tips for filing insurance claims to your property: - Contact your insurance company immediately.
- Wait for the company’s adjuster before you or anyone starts working to remove or repair or replace property.
- Inventory your damage.
- Take notes of who you talk with and what they say from your insurance company, adjusters or repair services. Note dates, names and contact information.
- Avoid scammers or high-pressure sales tactics if you are contacted by someone you don’t know, such as salespeople going door-to-door in areas hit by storms.
Question or complaint about your insurance company? If you have questions, complaints or problems with your insurance company, contact the Minnesota Department of Commerce Consumer Services Center: You can submit complaint online or call Commerce’s Consumer Services Center. The InterimAlthough the work of the 2025 session is now complete, I’ll continue meeting with constituents, colleagues, and our partners both inside and outside government to get prepared for next session. In addition to my focus on climate policy, given the federal changes we’re seeing, I’m especially interested in how we lower the cost of living for hardworking families on things including housing, child care, and healthcare. Even during the legislative interim, my office staff and I are available should you have any issues with state government or any input you’d like to share. I received about 1,600 constituent emails during session, and with the assistance of Caleb (my Legislative Assistant) I try to respond to every one, though we’re still working on a few outstanding ones. Note that if you send me a form email, for some reason with some of them when I reply they get rejected by spam filters. So, if you have any questions I can answer or ever need assistance navigating a state government matter, please do not hesitate to contact me (rep.larry.kraft@house.mn.gov) or my Legislative Assistant (caleb.rohrer@house.mn.gov). |