 Dear Neighbor,
It’s been another busy week at the Capitol as we now prepare to enter the final full week of the 2024 session. We are scheduled to adjourn May 20 and, with many bills still on the majority’s plate, it will be interesting to see what unfolds in crunch time.
Here’s a look at some of this week’s highlights:
Victory for religious freedom
There is good news to report after Republicans this week took a major step toward restoring religious freedom which Minnesota Democrats stripped from faith-based organizations last year.
Both bodies approved a variation of Republican legislation, amending the Minnesota Human Rights Act to re-establish protections for religious entities against discrimination claims and sending it to the governor for enactment.
This legislative action was necessary due to HRA legislation Democrats enacted in 2023, eliminating religious protections that had been in place since 1993. Before last year, when gender identity was included (or subsumed) within the HRA definition of sexual orientation, the still-existing religious exemption for sexual orientation covered gender identity claims as well. When a new, separate definition of gender identity was created last year, there was no corresponding religious exemption added.
I believe the courts ultimately would have ruled the change Democrats made last year unconstitutional. But I’m also glad it didn’t get that far. It’s great to see the religious freedoms enshrined in our Constitution prevailed on this issue so religious institutions can continue making decisions consistent with their mission and values. It was important to resolve this issue now, not just to rightly uphold our constitutionally guaranteed religious freedoms, but also to protect taxpayers from suffering unnecessary expenses from a major court case.
Hats off to all the people in our religious community who came to the Capitol, voiced their concerns and participated in the process of creating legislation that received overwhelming bipartisan support. It’s a good day for religious freedom in Minnesota.
True Light Christian School
 Thanks to everyone from True Light Christian School in Marshall, pictured above and below, who recently came to visit the Capitol. It was my pleasure to meet with you in the Rotunda.
 Energy bill
House Democrats this week approved legislation which provides paybacks to political friends instead of delivering the major permitting reform he indicated is needed in other industries statewide.
The bill is an omnibus package featuring energy provisions and its main focus is streamlining the permitting process for moving power from new renewable generation to the transmission grid by making more projects exempt from the certificate of need requirements.
On one hand, it is nice to see our Democrat colleagues recognize Minnesota’s burdensome permitting process is a roadblock for industries, small businesses and communities across our state, but major reform is needed for industries statewide instead of just the paybacks to political friends the Democrats propose in this bill.
Minnesota employees and job creators deserve a permitting process that is efficient and easy to follow not only for the clean energy sector, but also for other important industries like mining, housing, construction, manufacturing, and more. The permitting process does not need to be an either-or proposition, Minnesota can and should maintain necessary environmental and safety standards, while also giving job creators the certainty they need to invest in our state and its people.
Last session, Democrats enacted the Blackout Bill, making energy in Minnesota less affordable, less reliable, and less safe. This bill continues the Democrats’ priority of increasing our reliance on unaffordable and unreliable energy sources, and spending millions under the guise of climate change mitigation – but with no real impact. If the changes Democrats propose are good enough for the clean energy sector, then they should be good enough for the rest of Minnesota’s businesses.
The bill (H.F. 4975) passed the House mainly along party lines and is now in the hands of the Senate. It also includes measures related to agriculture and commerce.
 ERA bill lurking
As great as it was passing legislation restoring religious freedom this week, strong concerns are building over another bill House Democrats are bringing through the process to erase rights for millions of Minnesotans.
The radical, revised, and misleading, “Equal Rights Amendment” will instead erase rights for millions of Minnesotans by enshrining highly controversial “gender theory” into our law, enabling babies in the ninth month to be aborted on demand for any reason, stripping Minnesotans of their right to religious freedom, and so much more.
I stand firmly against this bill, which could be on the House floor as soon as Monday. Stay tuned and I may follow up soon with more on this divisive legislation.
For now, have a good weekend. Hope you have a great Mother’s Day and good luck in the fishing opener if you plan to get out on the water.
Sincerely,
Chris
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