Dear Neighbor,
House Republicans have been busy this week advancing our top priorities for this session, including a bill I have co-authored requiring local government entities to turn violent criminal illegal aliens over to federal authorities and ending sanctuary cities.
This bill (H.F. 16) complements the Laken Riley Act, which has been seen at the national level and signed by President Trump. It prevents local and state government entities from enacting policies that restrict cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. It also mandates reporting illegal immigrants arrested for violent crimes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ensuring that criminals who are here unlawfully are held accountable.
It’s sad we even have to write a bill to do this but, if illegal immigrants are arrested for violent crimes, including murder, assault, carjacking, and kidnapping, they need to be reported to ICE and this bill requires that to happen.
I participated in a press conference House Republicans hosted this week to highlight this bill, along with another bill (H.F. 10) I have co-authored to stop our tax dollars from being stolen by illegal immigrants through state assistance programs like medical assistance and the North Star Promise. Check out the press conference at this link to learn more about these bills we have authored.
In other news:
Surplus dollars should go back to taxpayers
I am an author of a bill proposing a constitutional amendment that would guarantee future state budget surpluses are returned directly to Minnesotans.
This bill (H.F. 4) aims to prevent history from repeating itself. The $18 billion surplus in the last biennium should have been used to help people manage the poor economy and deliver tax relief for Minnesotans. Instead, Democrats went on a spending spree, using an over-collection of tax dollars to expand government programs and create new ones, resulting in a 40-percent increase in the state budget with a $10 billion tax increase to top it off.
Specifically, the bill establishes the Minnesota tax relief account, with the legislature appropriating funds each biennium into this fund so we can return excess tax collections back to taxpayers via refunds. Any projected revenues that surpass projected expenditures by 5 percent will be used to fund the account.
Keeping men out of women’s sports
Much has been made of how the Democrats used full control of the Capitol to push a radical agenda the last two years. House Republicans are working to end the wokeness and restore common sense in Minnesota.
For example, I am among House Republicans authoring H.F. 12, which says: “Only students of the female sex may participate in an elementary or secondary school athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted on the basis of sex to women or girls.”
This bill pairs well with President Trump’s recent executive order entitled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” and House Republicans share his position on upholding fairness and safety.
Our bill and Trump’s executive order are in line with what people want, with polls showing 80 percent agree that biological sex should determine participation in sports, and that those born male at birth should be excluded from women’s sports.
Not so fast, say the Twin Cities liberals. The Minnesota State High School League stated it intends to not to comply with President Trump’s recent executive order prohibiting men from playing women’s sports. House Republicans this week sent a letter to the MSHSL director expressing concern over the organization’s position. You can read the letter here.
We’ll see if Democrats do the right thing by siding with 80 percent of the public on this issue – and fairness and safety for our daughters – or if they’ll cater to their foaming-at-the-mouth activists among the 20 percent.
 Fraud committee up and running The House Fraud and Agency Oversight Committee established by House Republicans had its first official hearing this week to tackle fraud, waste and abuse in state programs. This is a major problem in Minnesota, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars – or more. The committee’s first meeting focused on the lack of oversight of taxpayer-funded grants to nonprofit organizations. State officials outlined systemic issues in grant management and oversight by state agencies. Meanwhile, this week House Republicans sent a formal request to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to launch a comprehensive investigation into fraud and mismanagement that has cost taxpayers over $610 million. Tracking bills of interest to you The House has a handy MyBills page where you can track specific bills as they move through the process. Rest assured your inbox will not be flooded with messages because MyBills does not send emails! Click here for more details. Look for more from St. Paul soon and, as always, your input is welcome. Sincerely, Jimmy |