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Robbins 2025 Updated Header




*March 7, 2025*






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Dear Friends & Neighbors,

It has been another very busy week at the Capitol! We are still working hard to get bills through committees, but more bills are now starting to make their way to the floor.

Yesterday we also got the “February Forecast,” which gives us the final set of budget projections before we set budget targets for each finance committee. Unfortunately, the new forecast was worse than the one we received in November. The balance for the 2026-2027 biennium shrunk by $160 million and the deficit in the 2028-2029 biennium increased from $5.1 billion to $6 billion. This will make it even more challenging to put together a balanced budget for the state, which, thankfully, is required by the Minnesota Constitution.

Keep reading for more on the budget, bills and constituent meetings. I can’t believe it is already March, which means members are focused on *cheering on our schools in the state wrestling, hockey, and basketball tournaments!* Our House District has 7 school districts in different classes, so it is fun to try to follow them all! Good luck to everyone – enjoy these fun events and memories! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the spring-like weather!







Executive Summary

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*New Budget Forecast Paints Grim Picture*

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*Update on Bill to Protect Girls' Sports*

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*Whistleblower Protection Bill Heads to the Floor*

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*Champion of Small Cities Award*

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*Photos*






*New Budget Forecast Paints Grim Picture*

After two years of total Democrat control of state government, Minnesota went from an $18 billion surplus to a $6 billion deficit. The “February Forecast [ [link removed] ]” for Minnesota’s budget was released yesterday, showing the deficit is expected to increase from $5.1 billion to $6 billion by fiscal year 2028-29. The FY 2026-27 balance also dropped by $160 million to $456 million, as spending growth continues to outpace revenue.

In the 2023-2024 session, Democrats spent the entire $18 billion surplus, raised taxes by $11 billion, and expanded state government by nearly 40%. As I argued at the time, that level of reckless spending and growth of government is completely unsustainable.

Rather than admit their fiscal mismanagement, however, Democrats tried to blame Minnesota’s bleak outlook on President Trump, which simply doesn’t make sense. The forecast numbers are from February 10th – only 3 weeks into Trump’s Presidency and before any federal changes were made to the budget or trade policies.

The inflation-driven changes in the forecast are wholly driven by the Biden-Harris and Walz-Flannigan over-spending. Fiscal stimulus is one of the big drivers of inflation.

Democrats created this budget crisis and are looking to blame someone else, rather than take responsibility for the tough decisions that are going to have to be made to balance the state budget. Minnesotans cannot afford the current level of state spending and cannot absorb any more tax increases. It is time to slow the growth of government and let Minnesotans keep more of their own money to drive economic growth.

Democrats didn’t just spend beyond their means—they spent beyond Minnesota’s future. We need fiscal responsibility to get our state back on track.* I will continue fighting for a responsible budget that prioritizes families, seniors, students, and public safety.*






Update on the Effort to Preserve Girls’ Sports

On Monday, HF 12, the Preserving Girls’ Sports Ac [ [link removed] ]t [ [link removed] ], made it through committees and was heard on the House floor.

For years, policies allowing biological males to compete in girls’ and women's sports have undermined fair competition at every level—high school, college, and even the Olympics. Despite undeniable physiological differences in muscle mass, heart and lung capacity, bone density, etc., the Minnesota State High School League, based on an opinion written by Attorney General Keith Ellison, allows male athletes who identify as female to compete in girls’ sports. Even after hormone suppression, male athletes retain significant advantages, making competition inherently unfair and unsafe for female athletes, despite their hard work and training.

These policies have serious consequences for young women. Girls are losing out on championships and scholarships and some have suffered physical injuries from being forced to compete against much stronger opponents. In addition, many girls and women report feeling unsafe when forced to share locker rooms with biological males.

We should not be subjecting our female athletes to these unfair and unsafe conditions. Indeed, Title IX, which was passed by Congress back in 1972, was intended to protect female athletes from discrimination by ensuring they would have their own, distinct sports teams and leagues and they could have all of the benefits of fair competition that boys and men had enjoyed for decades.

This is not just about sports; it is about defending the rights of women and girls to have spaces of their own.

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Before the floor debate on Monday, we held a rally on the steps of the Capitol to ensure the voices of Minnesotans would be heard on this issue. Among the speakers was 12-time NCAA All-American Swimmer and girls’ sports advocate Riley Gaines (right), former Minnesota Viking and Gopher football player, Jack Brewer. Riley’s commitment and courage to speak out on this issue continue to be an inspiration, but one thing she said really brings home the point: “How crazy is it that you have to walk down the steps with an entourage of security for saying something as simple as ‘men and women are different.’”

It is crazy that something societies and cultures around the world have acknowledged as truth for thousands of years – that there are biological differences between males and females - is now characterized untrue and bigoted.

Despite the rhetoric of those who refuse to acknowledge biological reality, common sense still prevails. A recent poll shows 80% of voters, including 67% of Democrat voters, agree that keeping biological males out of girls’ and women's’ sports is important.

The rally drew hundreds of people from across Minnesota, including countless girls who were there to advocate for their future in athletics. Meanwhile, at a separate press conference, the House DFL dared to claim that this is simply not an important issue and that it’s just political clickbait for those on the right. They couldn’t be more wrong. Democrats’ opposition to this common-sense bill told girls and women throughout our state that their safety, their athletic opportunities, and their championships & scholarships are not important.

Unfortunately, the bill did not pass. Every single Democrat voted for against the protection of girls’ sports in our state. The final vote was 67-66, with all Republicans voting for the bill.

In the House, 68 votes are required to pass a bill, so the bill was “tabled,” and will likely come up again later in session. *As the mom of three girls who all played high school sports, I will never stop fighting for girls and women in our state.*


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Whistleblower Protection Bill Heads to House Floor

House Democrats continue to block efforts to strengthen whistleblower protections for state employees, despite clear evidence of widespread fraud, waste, and abuse in state government. My bill, HF 23 [ [link removed] ], would expand protections for public employees who report government fraud, waste and abuse by including those categories in the whistleblower statute, as already defined in other sections of law.

Minnesota currently has $610 million in known fraud, and many of these cases were exposed by courageous whistleblowers inside state agencies. Yet, under current law, state employees are only protected if they report to a legislator, the Legislative Auditor, or a constitutional officer, such as the Attorney General. My bill would expand those protections to include reports to law enforcement officials and other government bodies, ensuring that whistleblowers are not penalized for doing the right thing.

Unfortunately, House Democrats rejected expanding protections for state employees in both Committees in the House, despite the bill having passed with bipartisan support in the Senate. Democrats questioned whether additional protections are even necessary—despite overwhelming evidence of mismanagement in state agencies. *You can watch one clip of the hearing here [ [link removed] ] (ends at 33:41), or the whole hearing here [ [link removed] ](ends at 53:32). *

This is not theoretical. Whistleblowers have come forward at great personal risk to expose government fraud and mismanagement, and many fear for their jobs and careers. They deserve protection, not retaliation.

Instead of standing with those who are working to safeguard taxpayer dollars, Democrats have so far refused to provide safeguards that would increase transparency and accountability. The bill was passed along party lines out of the Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Committee on Wednesday, and will be on the House Floor on Monday, March 10th.






Champion of Small Cities Award

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I was honored to receive the 2024 Champion of Small Cities Award from the Minnesota Association of Small Cities! They notified me of the award last fall and presented it to me as part of their Day on the Hill on Thursday!

I am very honored to represent Greenfield, Independence, Loretto, and Maple Plain – all amazing “small cities” with populations less than 5,000! I appreciate their recognition for my work to ensure that small cities are not overlooked in policy and funding decisions at the Capitol!


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Photos
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"Love having constituents in the High School Page program! Such a great experience for Juniors to be part of democracy in action! "

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"Happy Birthday (yesterday), Julie M. Maas-Kusske, Mayor of City of Maple Plain! Thank you for spending your day at the Capitol advocating for issues important to our community!"

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"I enjoyed meeting with our City Administrator & City Council Members from City of Maple Grove, MN - Local Government while they were here advocating for our community with the League of Minnesota Cities! Thanks for coming to St. Paul & for all you do for our community!"

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"Had a great conversation with constituents in MAPE who do important work in state agencies and are concerned about the impact the deficit is going to have on state employees. Thanks for coming to the Capitol & meeting with me!"

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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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239 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806







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