Legislative Update
Friends,
April is shaping up to be a busy and productive month. We’ve reached the first two legislative deadlines, many of my bills have made significant progress, and I’ve been reviewing Governor Walz’s budget proposals.
Walz’s Proposed Cuts: Longterm Care & Education
I’ve been reviewing Governor Walz's proposed budget cuts to education and long-term care and it’s clear his proposal will have a devastating impact on our communities. These cuts are not just numbers, they represent real harm to our seniors, students, and local infrastructure. In our district alone, cuts will directly affect Neilson Place and Havenwood Care Center in Bemidji, as well as Lakewood Care Center in Baudette.
The combined funding slashed from these three long-term care facilities will total just under $3.7 million - money that is desperately needed to care for our aging population. By 2030, 1 in 4 Minnesotans will be 65 or older, with 70% of them needing some form of long-term care and these cuts threaten the stability of the services we’ll need to support them.
His proposal also slashes $53 million in special education transportation reimbursements and eliminating $79 million in teacher pay and development will hurt our students and educators as well.
While we need to make cuts to the state budget, we cannot afford to risk the long-term health and success of Minnesota's future. I will continue to fight these cuts and push for fiscally responsible policies that allow us to save taxpayer dollars without compromising our children and grandparents.
Legislation Making Progress
Over the past two weeks, some of my bills have made important steps on their way to the House Floor. I will be sure to keep you updated as things develop. For now, I have included links to the House webpage that has the bills in their entirety and some videos of myself and my colleagues discussing these pieces of legislation.
HF 1567 – This legislation is something I’ve spoken at length about in the past and I’m proud to see it continue moving forward. HF 1567 will protect our law enforcement officers from malicious actors who aim to abuse their private information for the purposes of intimidation or inflicting harm on officers and their families. You can see me speak about this bill here.
HF 1375 – This bill had its first hearing in the House Committee on Public Safety last week and aims to improve the arbitration process for our state’s police officers. If passed, this legislation will improve the arbitration process for police officers and bring it up to the standard of other state employee arbitration processes. You can see me speak about this bill here.
HF 2525 – This legislation establishes a Public Safety Officer Hearing Protection Program, which will help protect the hearing of our firefighters, peace officers, and EMS providers. Watch the video to hear more about how this bill will safeguard the health and safety of our public safety officers!
House File 1255 was passed last week. This bill allows law enforcement officers to hold on to badges after they retire. Many officers’ families have a history of public service that goes back generations, and this bill allows them to pass down their non-commissioned badges to their sons and daughters. It’s a disappointing to see Democrat members vote against something that is a simple gesture of respect for all they have given our communities. My colleague Rep. Hudson covered this succinctly: Video.
Productive Meetings This Past Week!
 Pictured Above: Bemidji Fire Chief and myself.
 Pictured Above: Chairman and Secretary of Red Lake on the floor of the House of Representatives with myself and Speaker Demuth.
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