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*April 19, 2024*






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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Despite the gloomy days, the rain is helping to green things up and make the flowers start popping!  I love the first spring green – it is so vibrant!  I hope you are enjoying all of the signs of spring this year, too.

In St. Paul, we continue to debate House omnibus bills on the floor, including Commerce, Human Services, Housing, and Cannabis this week.  We had our “third Committee deadline” this week, which means that all of the finance bills had to be done.



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While I’m glad to finish the Committee work, it was definitely bittersweet.  As a member of the Minority, I have been fortunate to serve under some excellent Committee Chairs from the Majority Party.  *This week, our Transportation Chair, Rep. Frank Hornstein, and our Higher Ed Chair, Rep. Gene Pelowski, chaired their final committee meetings as they are retiring at the end of session.*  We were able to send them off with gratitude for their service and leadership.

Both gentlemen treated the Minority with respect and showed us how to run a good Committee, which has served the state and the institution of the House well.  I am thankful I was able to serve with and learn from both of them, even though we often disagreed on policy.



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*Finally, I appeared on Almanac: At The Capitol with Rep. Feist this week to discuss the Civility Caucus and working across party lines! You can view our segment here! [ [link removed] ]*







Executive Summary

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Omnibus Bills: Lands, Commerce, HHS, and Cannabis

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Tax Day Press Conference

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Last Chance for a Capitol-Flown State Flag!






Omnibus Bill Updates

On Monday the House met late into the night to discuss several bills including the Lands, Commerce, Human Services, and Environment Omnibus Policy Bills.  Despite some of the bills having several provisions I agree with, I voted against most of them as I think they are generally steering our state in the wrong direction.  Keep reading for a quick recap of a few of the key provisions we debated this week.

 

Human Services Omnibus Bill - SF 4399 [ [link removed] ]

The Human Services was a well-intentioned bill, but it missed the mark. A key provision of the bill will negatively impact the rights and choices of Minnesotans, especially those in the disability community.

*The bill eliminates the option of subminimum wage employment for individuals with disabilities.* Subminimum wage jobs provide valuable opportunities for those whose capabilities might not align with competitive employment standards.  These jobs give people with disabilities a sense of independence, engagement with the community, and the opportunity to gain skills that sometimes enable them to move to traditional employment jobs.

I heard from dozens of disabled citizens and parents of young people with disabilities who greatly value the ability to work in these settings.  They take great pride in their jobs, enjoy the dignity of work and opportunities to interact with colleagues and make friends.

As currently drafted, the bill disregards the needs of this diverse group and imposes a one-size-fits-all solution that could lead to the loss of jobs and connections that citizens with disabilities value so much.   *I am hoping this will get fixed in the Conference Committee with the Senate.  We will keep offering amendments that protect employment diversity and ensure that any changes in this area of law are genuinely in the best interest of those served.*






Commerce Omnibus Bill - SF 4097 [ [link removed] ]

This year's Commerce contains some technical corrections requested by the Department of Commerce. It also contains some more controversial provisions relating to debt collections, insurance requirements for gender-affirming care, and broadband issues.

*The most important thing about this bill is what it did NOT include.  House Republicans were able to work with the Chair to remove a new broadband tax from the bill that would have allowed local municipalities to tax consumers' broadband bills by up to 8%.* 

Family budgets are being hit hard right now, and families have not even absorbed the full impact of the $10 billion tax increase passed by the Majority last year, as some of the taxes haven’t taken effect yet.  *I am glad we were able to get this tax taken out of the bill and we will continue to fight to protect taxpayers.*

The bill also includes a provision I supported which limits what types of property can be seized, garnished, or sold in a final judgment.

*One of the most controversial provisions requires private health insurance plans to provide coverage for gender-affirming care.* This mandate already applies to public health care programs.  *The Majority rejected an amendment to similarly require that de-transitioning procedures be also covered.*  This effectively means that the state is requiring private health plans to cover procedures to transition but will not require them to provide coverage to detransition if they change their minds.   

In addition to the inconsistency, increasing the list of state-mandated procedures that must be covered by private health insurance plans will drive up the cost of care for everyone. 






Lands Bill - *HF 3508 [ [link removed] ]*

The Lands Bill provides the needed legislative authority for the DNR to make changes to state park and state forest boundaries, to sell surplus state land, and to allow the sale of tax-forfeited land.

*The bill also included a provision I have been working on for more than a year with the DNR and constituents who live along the Luce Line Trail in Medina and Independence.*  Under current law, the DNR was requiring property owners to pay $2000 to apply for certification of their already-existing easement for crossing over the Luce Line Trail.

This issue was first brought to my attention by Mayor Marv Johnson, who had been hearing from a number of constituents who had received letters from the DNR telling them they had to pay $2000 to apply for a certification of their pre-existing easement rights.

*After meeting with Mayor Johnson, looking at case law, and meetings with the DNR, the DNR realized this was an inappropriate fee.*  They could not charge property owners for issuing an existing easement.

*The new language allows the DNR to assume the $2,000 application fee for people seeking an easement over a state trail if they had preexisting access rights.  *

*I am very pleased the DNR was willing to work with us to fix this issue!  It will help Minnesotans across the state who have an easement over a state trail.*






This bill makes several significant changes to last year’s law that legalized marijuana in our state.  As most people are aware, the roll-out of this new law has had significant problems and is well behind schedule for issuing licenses and getting the regulated market up and running. 

As a leader of the opposition to legalization, I pointed out these problems last session.  In particular, I noted that the significant delay between the time marijuana became legal and the time the regulated market became operational would significantly expand the black market in our state.

*I am pleased that two of the “fixes” I had introduced as bills were incorporated as amendments in the Committee*.  *HF 5102* [ [link removed] ]* adds an expert in clinical pharmacy to the Cannabis Advisory Council and **HF 5101* [ [link removed] ]* puts limits on cannabis advertising.  *Specifically, this amendment added that ads cannot include images of candy or dessert.  They also cannot advertise marijuana in conjunction with images of alcohol or people consuming alcohol.

*Unfortunately, our efforts to limit flavored gummies, which are aimed at kids, were defeated on the floor on a party-line vote.*  *You can view my short floor remarks here.* [ [link removed] ]

I still oppose this bill as it doesn’t do nearly enough to protect kids, increase local control, or ensure public safety.






Tax Day Press Conference

On Monday my House Republican Colleagues and I held a Tax Day press conference on April 15th to *highlight how much Minnesotans are paying in taxes and how uncompetitive our state’s tax code has become*.

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Minnesota ranks 6th for highest income tax in the country.  We have a very progressive tax code, with 4 tax brackets – 5.35%, 6.80%, 7.85%, and 9.85%.  *Our LOWEST tax rate of 5.35% is higher than the HIGHEST rate in 18 other states and there are 7 states that don’t have any income tax.*  In addition, we have the *highest corporate tax rate in the country*.   We are also one of only 11 states that still tax Social Security and one of a handful that still have an estate tax.

Last year, the Majority spent the entire $17.5 billion surplus and increased taxes an additional $10 billion last year so they could increase state spending by 38%.  *Minnesotans cannot afford this enormous growth in government!*

KSTP covered the press conference ended their story [ [link removed] ] with a great quote by our Minority Leader, Lisa Demuth: 

“For far too long Democrats in St. Paul have viewed the paycheck and the bank accounts of Minnesotans as their own personal piggy bank to raid whenever they need more to fund their out-of-control spending."

I fully agree with Leader Demuth and I remain committed to reducing the tax burden on Minnesotans.






Photos of the Week:

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It was Justice Day at the Capitol, where the Supreme Court opens its Chambers to the Legislature & we are able to speak with the Justices. I enjoyed talking to Chief Justice Hudson and Justice Anderson, who will be retiring soon. Thank you for your service!

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It was Veteran’s Day on the Hill, which is always so inspiring! ????. It is a tremendous honor to be in the company of these American Heroes, who fought for the freedom we now enjoy. They were here to advocate on important Veterans issues, such as homelessness, mental health, and tax changes that will help them and ensure their Legions & VFWs remain important gathering places. Thank you for coming!






Please Contact Me

Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any matters to which I can be of assistance.

The best way to reach me is by email: [email protected]. For occasional updates, you can follow my Facebook Page at @RepKristinRobbins. You can also leave a voicemail on my office number, 651-296-7806, which is checked every weekday while we are in session.

Of course, if you are coming to the Capitol, I’d love to meet you! Please reach out if you would like to set-up an in-person meeting. 

Have a great weekend!

 

Kristin











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