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*The 2024 Legislature Hits the Ground Running*

The 2024 Legislative Session has started this week and is already underway to bring solutions for Minnesotans. There are a number of fixes needed this legislative session to address errors from last year?s whirlwind of single-party control. These include addressing the statutory changes that have removed School Resource Officers from districts across the state, correcting errors in the tax omnibus bill, and looking ahead to the deficit the current state budget will create in 2025.

We hit the ground running on Monday with an urgency declared on the School Resource Officer fix in an attempt to bring it before the floor. This procedural motion would have allowed the House to take up this important legislation and accompanying amendment to get SROs back in schools across the state.

We heard from Representative Jeff Witte, a former resource officer, on the important role these men and women play in the development of young students and the safety of the learning environment. He shared how students looked to him to keep school safe and how those relationships helped to put some students on a better path to happy successful lives rather than repeating behaviors that would have been damaging to their futures. He is a great example of the important work these officers do every day and why we must get them back in schools as soon as possible.

Another issue that is crucial for the legislature to address early in the session is a correction to last year?s tax bill. An error in the way the standard deduction is calculated could cost Minnesotans over 350 million dollars if it is not corrected. Minnesotans are already over-taxed and this error could mean families that are struggling with the increased costs of everyday necessities could owe hundreds more to the state. We need to be focused on providing relief for Minnesotans as they face record inflation and cost increases. This correction should be just the first step towards that goal.

As we saw in the November forecast, our state budget is headed toward a structural deficit in 2025. With total control of state government, last year Democrats increased spending by 38% and spent the entire 17.5 billion dollar surplus. Now we are facing the harsh reality of their uninhibited spending spree. Any supplemental budget bills that come up this year must address the deficiency going forward in the state?s budget and reduce spending to bring spending in line with taxes collected. Preferably reducing spending to the extent that we could cut some of the 10 billion in tax increases that were passed last session.

All three of these issues were created because last year majorities in both the House and Senate rushed through legislation without thoughtful consideration and ignoring the objections of minority members in each chamber. This year I hope our committee chairs will take a more thorough and thoughtful approach to legislating so that we can avoid these problems and keep them from happening in the future.






Please Contact Me

Please continue to reach out if I can be of any assistance to you. You can reach me by phone at 651-296-7065 or by email at [email protected].?

Have a great weekend!?

Brian











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/RepBrianPfarr





351 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7065







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