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Dear Neighbors,
The 2024 legislative session ended earlier this week, putting a wrap on a two-year biennium that saw the largest expansion of state government in more than a generation.
Remember, with the record $18 billion surplus last year, Minnesotans deserved meaningful tax cuts. Instead, Democrats went on a spending spree, grew the budget by 40% – the largest budget increase in Minnesota history – and raised taxes by $10 billion in the process.
Along the way, Democrats also officially put Minnesota taxpayers on the hook for a $730 million State Office Building remodel despite Republicans proposing more reasonably priced alternatives.
Now, the state is facing a projected deficit in the upcoming budget cycle which begins next year.
In addition to the explosion in the size of government and massive tax increases, we saw some extremely concerning policies enacted by the Democrat trifecta. This included gun control bills, the most extreme abortion policy in the entire country, soft-on-crime policies that will make our communities less safe, and a state-funded speech registry that could undermine First Amendment rights.
The chaos and dysfunction of one-party control in St. Paul concluded on Sunday evening as House and Senate Democrats rolled dozens of unrelated bills into a massive 1,400-page omnibus bill, used procedural motions to shut down debate, and forced a vote just minutes before the midnight deadline.
With two years of complete control and months to finish our work on time, it is completely unacceptable that Democrats chose dysfunction and chaos over democracy. There was plenty of time to do our work in a way that honors the Minnesotans we are elected to represent. Instead, they shut down debate and jammed through one of the largest omnibus bills in state history just minutes before the midnight deadline.
Despite the many, many disappointments of the last two years, we were able to secure a few wins. This includes stopping a bill that could have enshrined abortion until the moment of birth in our state’s constitution, restoring an important religious exemption to the Minnesota Human Rights Act, and fighting hard to make sure that School Resource Officers could return to schools after a change in law last year forced many districts to temporarily remove them.
As we look ahead to the summer and fall, I want to say thank you for all of the support and encouragement you have given me over the last two years. There were many hard days and long nights, but the words of encouragement from you all have helped me sustain the fight for our shared values.
Please do not hesitate to stop and say hi if you see me out and about this summer. It would be great to chat with you and learn more about what matters most to you and your family.
While the legislative session is over, the work never stops. So please continue to reach out to my office if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-4237 or via email at [email protected].
Have a great day,
Paul
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