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Good morning,

As of today, we have officially reached both our first and second committee deadlines. It has been a busy and productive week as we worked through everything needed to stay on track. Now, our attention turns to the third and final deadline coming up next Friday. Over the next several days, we will continue making progress to ensure everything is in place. Once we pass that final deadline, our focus will shift almost entirely to the budget process. There will be a lot of work ahead, and I will continue to share updates as we move through each step.

Budget Framework

Late last week, we got our budget framework, which was agreed upon by both GOP and DFL leadership in the House. This framework lays out the spending limits for each committee and is a major win for Republicans. It includes the largest spending cut in state history and takes a big step toward reducing the $6 billion deficit by cutting more than $3 billion.

This framework couldn’t have come at a better time. Over the past year, Democrats burned through an $18 billion surplus, raised taxes by more than $10 billion, and increased government spending by 40%—all in just one session. Now, we’re left with a massive deficit that needs to be addressed quickly and responsibly. These spending cuts are a necessary step in the right direction to get our state back on solid financial ground and ensure long-term economic stability.

Right now, we’re still in the early stages of putting together the final budget for this session. There’s a lot of work ahead, and many discussions still need to take place to make sure we’re making the best decisions for our state’s future. I’ll keep you updated as we move forward and more details come together.

Walz's Proposed Cuts, Impact on Education and Other Vulnerable Groups

Last week, we held a press conference [ [link removed] ] to talk about the proposed budget cuts to education, specifically the cuts Governor Walz has suggested for our schools. These cuts are a step in the wrong direction and will only add more strain to schools that are already struggling.

In the last session, too many unfunded mandates were passed down, leaving schools to carry the financial burden. As a result, many districts have been forced to lay off teachers and staff, making an already difficult situation even worse. Now, with these additional cuts, schools will have to make even tougher decisions, which will only hurt students and educators even more.

Education is not the only sector at risk though. Nursing homes and senior living facilities [ [link removed] ] are facing similar threats to cut funding, which would disproportionately effect yet another vulnerable group. The House's proposed budget does not cut from education, unlike all of the other proposals, because we understand the value and need for support in this area.

The best approach to balancing the budget is not by cutting crucial services like education and care for the elderly, or balancing it on the backs of hardworking Minnesotans. We need to find solutions that support our schools and make sure they have the resources they need to succeed. Budget cuts that harm our education system will only set us back and create more problems in the long run. We should be focusing on strengthening our schools and providing real support for our communities, not making their lives harder. That's what we will continue to fight for.

Bill Hearing [ [link removed] ]

More on Schools

On Tuesday, Rep. Andrew Myers introduced HF2201 [ [link removed] ], and an amendment, to the Education Finance Committee [ [link removed] ], a bill aimed at bringing fiscal responsibility to the universal school lunch program by limiting the benefit to families making less than $150,000. This commonsense measure would have freed up $85 million per year, which Republicans proposed redirecting to help stabilize teacher pensions and secure the retirement of hardworking educators. Without action, the financial strain on the pension system will only continue to grow, making it harder for future teachers to retire with dignity. Unfortunately, despite the clear benefits for educators, Education Minnesota opposed the bill, standing in the way of a solution that would have strengthened teacher pensions without raising taxes or increasing spending. Instead of prioritizing long-term security for teachers, they chose to protect a bloated program that subsidizes school lunches for wealthy families who don’t need the assistance. This bill was a responsible, practical step toward ensuring Minnesota educators have a secure retirement, but Democrats and their union allies blocked it, missing a real opportunity to support teachers in a meaningful way.

SOS [ [link removed] ]

Fraud

Tackling fraud in our state has been a key focus for House Republicans this session. This week, we launched a new, secure website aimed at allowing whistleblowers to confidentially report any suspected fraud within Minnesota state government.

The website, MNFraud.com, is specifically designed to gather tips from people who have direct knowledge of waste, fraud, or abuse in state agencies or publicly funded programs. Any information submitted through the site will be reviewed by the staff of the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee. Rest assured, the identities of whistleblowers are protected, just like they would be on a secure payment processing site.

If you are aware of any waste, fraud, or abuse in state agencies, we encourage you to report it at www.MNFraud.com [ [link removed] ]. Please also share this information with others!

Events

The Sauk Centre Festival of the Arts [ [link removed] ] will be taking place from June 21-22 in Sinclair Lewis Park. In preparation for this event, they are looking for artists to apply to sell at the festival. If you make handmade art, consider applying! There were over 2,000 attendees last year, and this is a great community event to gain exposure at.

It's Fish Fry Friday! Check out the Lure Lakebar or Longtrees Woodfire Grill for your fish dinner tonight.

Shoutouts

Shoutout to the Alexandria Area High School Boys Basketball on winning the Class AAA State Championship [ [link removed] ] two weekends ago. This caps off an incredible season and highlights all of the hard work that the team put in this year! Congratulations!






Please Contact Me

If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me at either 651-296-3201 or [email protected] I would love to hear from you.

It’s an honor to represent the best!

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