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Dear Neighbor,

It was an honor returning to the Capitol on Tuesday to perform the oath of office in the Minnesota House of Representatives as a member of the 94th Legislature.

You can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude being sworn into office in our beautiful Capitol building. You start thinking about all the people who served before you and the hard work they did to build the House into the remarkable institution that it is.

Meanwhile, House Democrats decided to stay home and collect a paycheck instead of showing up for the job they were elected to do. As I mentioned in my last email, House Republicans broke up the Democrats’ trifecta of power in the November election. Then, a court ruled one metro Democrat cannot be seated because he does not reside in the district he won, and that is illegal.

But Democrats don’t want to be in the minority, so they staged a boycott of the House. I ask again: Why should taxpayers be on the hook for paying wages to legislators who don’t show up for work? How long will Democrats neglect their obligations to constituents while still collecting taxpayer-funded salaries during their walkout?

The fact is, we can’t afford to waste time this session. We have a lot of work to do after two years of one-party control enacting reckless spending, unnecessary tax increases and extreme policies in Minnesota. I look forward to serving on three House committees this biennium, related to energy, labor/workforce and housing, including a vice chair position with labor/workforce.

I’m happy to be back at the Capitol so we can get started. Will Democrats show up soon? Time will tell.

*Stop the Fraud*

House Republicans are going to make major efforts this session to stamp out the rampant fraud and waste in Minnesota departments and programs. From Feeding our Future to childcare assistance, frontline worker pay, and DHS and the Department of Education, fraud/waste is costing Minnesota taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

A lack of accountability and sloppy accounting have taken over Minnesota’s agencies with Democrats in full control of the Capitol the last two years. This is Exhibit A for how nice it is Republicans have ended the Democrat trifecta. We will demand more from our agencies, work to increase accountability and add more guardrails to protect taxpayers.

House Republicans are taking fraud and waste seriously and are preparing a comprehensive package to root out fraud. We started by establishing a House committee to specifically tackle this issue. Our plan will protect taxpayers and ensure program funding reaches its intended purposes.

*Helpful links*

Look for more from the Capitol soon. Meanwhile, here are some links to House of Representatives resources that are helpful in following along this session:


* Rep. Shane Mekeland page [ [link removed] ] – My official House website with assorted information.
* Session Daily [ [link removed] ] – Daily news and information about House committee and floor action.
* Live Webcasts and Mobile Stream [ [link removed] ] – View floor sessions, committee hearings, press conferences and more from home or on a mobile device.
* House Public Information Services Publications [ [link removed] ] – Information about the Legislature and legislative process.
* House Public Information Services Press Releases [ [link removed] ]
* New Laws [ [link removed] ] – Summaries of all vetoes and new laws enacted from the 2021 legislative session.
* House Research [ [link removed] ] – Issues and information.
* House Fiscal Analysis [ [link removed] ] – Issue briefs.

Have a good weekend, please stay in touch and let me know how I can help.

Sincerely,

Shane






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/RepShaneMekeland [ [link removed] ]





State Rep. Shane Mekeland
2nd Floor, Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar St., St. Paul, MN 55155
[email protected] <[email protected]>
(651) 296-2451







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