Capital Commentary
The Governor recently released his budget proposal for 2026-2027, and it falls short in every way. His proposal includes tax increases, funding increases for certain government agencies, decreases for others, and a whole lot of unknowns. Overall, it’s a bad deal.
I want to remind folks of the...
Dear Neighbors,
I hope you had a blessed Easter weekend and were able to spend time with loved ones and family. It was nice to be back home last week as the legislature was on its annual Easter break. We returned to St. Paul on Tuesday afternoon for the final 6 weeks of the 2024 legislative session...
Senate Democrats brought forward a public safety bill that fails to prioritize any aspect of public safety concerns. Crime in Minnesota has been steadily rising and expanding from the metro outward. Instead of addressing concerns of folks across the state, Democrats gave us a public safety bill...
Those of us in our neck of the woods understand the important role that nursing homes play in our rural communities. Sadly, many nursing homes are closing around Minnesota because they can’t afford to stay open. In fact, there are counties in Minnesota that have only one nursing home.
In many...
Dear Friends,
Recently I presented a bill in the Pensions Committee that was brought to be by a constituent. HF 217 will support our volunteer firefighters. I truly represent the best, and it is wonderful when my conversations with constituents translate to new legislation in St. Paul!
Calls to...
Dear Neighbors,
On Thursday, I introduced legislation that would return the state’s budget surplus back to Minnesotans through one-time direct payments. House File 1548 would determine eligibility for the payments based on 2021 taxable net income with single filers receiving $3,000 and joint...
Last week saw a flurry of activity in the Senate in spite of the dispiriting cold weather. Through SF749 we ensured that cities which use resources borrowed from surrounding communities pay for it rather than forcing it on Minnesotans. And last week, with tri-partisan support, we passed SF2 which...
We’ve had another busy week at the Legislature and I believe we can expect an announcement that will ease some restrictions on restaurants, businesses, weddings and other venues.
One other thing I wanted to draw attention to from this week is the legislation that was offered by Senator Osmek: SF04...
We are a few weeks into the 2021 session and already are hitting hard against the Governor’s and House Democrats’ agenda to increase taxes and adopt California Emissions Standards. The Senate has also forged ahead to provide Voter ID for Minnesotans – if we must have government-issued ID to get the...
This week the budget forecast was delivered and discussed. The state surplus has grown to $1.5 million. Given that our state government was fully funded for two years in the last session, and we still have money left over, now is the time to prioritize the taxpayers. It’s time for Minnesotans to ‘...
