Legislative UpdateDear friends and neighbors, After 23 days of the Democrat shutdown House DFL and GOP leadership announced that an organizational agreement had been reached to organize the Minnesota House effective Thursday. Long story short, the Democrats caved. I wanted to outline what was agreed on, so you can hear it from me and know that I was comfortable with the deal. - There will be a republican speaker of the house for the first time in six years. As Speaker, Lisa Demuth will be the second most powerful elected official in Minnesota.
- GOP-led House Fraud and Agency Oversight Committee to investigate fraud in state government programs. Republicans have committee chairmanships and majorities on all committees for two years and have a 5-3 voting margin over Democrats.
- Should the Democrats win the election on March 11th, committees will return to "co-chairs" with one Republican and one Democrat leading them.
- Even if the House returns to an even 67-67 split, Demuth remains the sole Speaker of the House.
- The contested election in Shakopee will get brought to an Ethics committee. This is not ideal, but one our top priority bills will be brought forth in the next week or two dealing with election integrity. Stay tuned.
I am excited to get to work and make changes for our communities. This week I introduced an anti-sanctuary bill requiring local law enforcement to report illegal immigrants who commit violent crimes to ICE. This bill will ensure the safety of communities in Minnesota. Click here to watch the press conference.  |