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Dear Friends,
I hope you had a wonderful Easter and were able to spend some extra time with loved ones. I know I enjoyed the additional time with my family as we head into omnibus bill season which will make for many late nights on the House floor.
The legislature returned this week and we immediately started debate on these omnibus bills which will form Minnesota?s new two-year state budget. Remember: Minnesota has a $17.5 billion surplus. This historic figure is proof that we are overtaxing our hardworking families who continue to face higher prices for gas, groceries, and energy bills. Unfortunately, Democrats are more focused on expanding government bureaucracy than returning the surplus to you. In fact, they know their spending spree is unsustainable, so they are proposing $9.5 billion in new taxes.
This is unacceptable. I will continue fighting for permanent, meaningful tax relief to help Minnesotans and their budgets.
Elections Bill
Last night, Democrats passed the most partisan elections bill in Minnesota?s history. We used to have a great tradition of bipartisan elections legislation, but the Democrats decided to shun this valuable practice. Instead, they passed a bill full of troubling provisions that include:
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Providing automatic voter registration.?Under this bill, when you sign up for a driver's license or State ID, you will automatically be registered to vote. Additionally, when enrolling for MN Care you will be automatically registered to vote unless you opt out. In 2018, the Office of the Legislative Auditor found that the Statewide Voter Registration System was overtaxed and needed to be modernized. There has been no proof that these concerns have been addressed. If our voter registration system is not adequate, we could see significant problems especially since Drivers' License For All is now state law;
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Creating a permanent absentee voter list. Voters who register for the list will receive absentee ballots automatically instead of receiving a registration form for the absentee ballot;
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Expanding the definition of express advocacy.?With this provision, more speech will be regulated, and it will have a chilling effect on campaign speech which the U.S. Supreme Court has protected; and
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Prohibiting ?foreign-influenced corporations? from engaging in the political process.?While this sounds like a good thing, in reality it creates a confusing standard for what is ?control? of a corporation. Corporations headquartered here may have shareholders outside of the country and they will no longer be allowed to exercise their right to free speech.
Minnesotans deserve free and fair elections. A bill that will regulate campaign speech, limit engagement in the political process, and threaten election integrity does not meet that goal. I encourage you to reach out to your Senators and share your concerns with this legislation.
Omnibus Education Bill
I wanted to provide an update on the Education Omnibus bill, which we expect to debate on the House floor next week. One of the more troubling aspects with this bill is all the new mandates, including one that will even limit a teacher's ability to discipline in their own classroom.
Click my photo below to learn more about my concerns with this proposed mandate. We need to listen to teachers and administrators, not advocates.
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