Dear friends and neighbors, Thank you for entrusting me with the opportunity to represent you in St. Paul. It is an honor and I do not take it lightly to have this responsibility. I am here to share that the first week of session went off with a bang, in several different ways. We found out on Sunday night that the Democrats had a secret, private swearing in ceremony at the History Center in St. Paul. I am disappointed that they decided not to join us on Tuesday. They have also decided not to show up for work at all this week. Even worse, they are still collecting their taxpayer funded paychecks!! This is deeply concerning to myself, my GOP colleagues, and many of you, I'm sure.  However, their antics have not held us up for a moment. The whole GOP caucus was sworn in on Tuesday as scheduled. We overcame some obstacles from the secretary of state and other government officials, like the governor. Even with them opposing our efforts, we have continued to push forward together. Since Tuesday, we have been conducting official House business and meeting in committees to establish our priorities. I have already dropped my first two bills in the hopper! This year I am serving on the following committees: Capital Investment, Energy Finance and Policy, and State Government Finance and Policy. These are interest areas of mine, so I am excited to dive in. Specifically in Capital Investment, we will be working on a bonding bill, which is a critical way to secure funding for maintenance of infrastructure such as roads, highways, and other public property. In all of my committees I see a unique opportunity to work with all members on important legislation for the people of Minnesota.  For the GOP caucus overall, our priorities are simple: - Stop the Fraud
- Make Minnesota Affordable
- Make Minnesota Safe
- Raise Standards, Reduce Mandates
- Minnesota Tax Dollars for Minnesotans
- Build for the Future
Outside of the House, we got news this week of Governor Walz's budget proposal for 2026-2027. Included in the proposal were tax increases and a decrease in funding for long term care. This is concerning for many Minnesotans who are already feeling the pressure of too many taxes and increasingly stretched budgets. The House GOP will not allow these increases to happen, as Speaker Demuth stated, "A budget that raises taxes on Minnesotans is not a budget that values the people of Minnesota. Democrats already used their one-party control to raise taxes on Minnesotans by more than $10 billion dollars, and spent us into a looming deficit. Any tax increases are off the table." As much as this session has not started how we had hoped, I can assure you that we are hard at work for you day in and day out. Thank you again for your trust in me as your representative, I aim to do well for our community and Minnesota at large. -Tom I want to hear from you!I am always here to listens to concerns or ideas of my constituents. I can be reached via email rep.tom.sexton@house.mn.gov or phone 651-296-5368. |