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Legislative Update
Easter 3 crosses

Dear Neighbor,

Before we get into official legislative business today, I’d like to wish you and your family a blessed Easter weekend and safe travels if you are traveling to celebrate. Let this holiday be a joyous one as we celebrate Jesus’ sacrifice, His resurrection and offer thanks for our bountiful gifts as we spread the joy and happiness that Christ has brought into our lives through his sacrifice on the cross.

This holiday is especially important to my family and me as we reflect on its significant meaning of salvation found though Jesus' death as He paid the price for our sins. I hope you enjoy the spirit of this Easter as well.

After a brief break to observe this holiday, the House will return to the Capitol with less than one month remaining in the 2025 legislative session before our May 19 deadline to adjourn. Most of this session’s most important work hangs in the balance, including our state’s next two-year budget.

Here’s a look at more on that subject and more:

*Ellison meeting with fraudsters*

The recent release of an audio recording [ [link removed] ] featuring Attorney General Keith Ellison speaking with criminal defendants in the federal “Feeding our Future” trial is raising red flags over the AG’s conduct.

It’s deeply troubling to hear that Ellison met with – and even expressed support for – individuals charged in the Feeding Our Future scandal, the largest pandemic fraud case in the nation. During that meeting, campaign contributions were discussed and later accepted by Ellison, raising serious conflicts of interest and ethical concerns.

This audio revelation comes well after two former senior officials from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office publicly criticized [ [link removed] ] Ellison’s handling of the Feeding Our Future case back in late 2022. They pointed to a failure to use the full investigative tools of the office, such as subpoenaing bank and financial records, long before federal investigators stepped in. In fact, Ellison didn’t even open an investigation into the case until February 2022, two months "after" meeting with the defendants.

The Attorney General owes Minnesotans a full explanation. He should immediately release all public records and correspondence related to these meetings and explain why he believed it was appropriate to meet with these individuals in the first place, let alone offer them support.

Sadly, House Democrats have blocked legislation (H.F. 20 [ [link removed] ]) to increase transparency in the AG’s office twice this session, first on Feb. 20, and again just last week. This legislation would give the public greater insight into how the AG’s office operates by narrowing what information is kept private, particularly in cases just like this.

Minnesotans deserve transparency and accountability from their elected officials. That’s exactly what HF20 aims to deliver and it is unfortunate House Democrats not only blocked the bill, but even interrupted Rep. Harry Niska numerous times to stifle discussion of this issue on the House floor. Click here [ [link removed] ] for that footage.

*Higher education*

As Chair of the House Higher Education Committee, much of my focus as of late has been directed toward crafting a $4 billion dollar omnibus finance bill to fund that portion of our state’s next two-year budget. As previously noted, much of the heavy lifting involves fixing a $239 million biennial budget hole in the State Grant Program, which is more than one entire years worth of grants. We need to close this gap with a $0 budget increase target.

One thing that has become abundantly clear in this process is the former majority is having difficulty coming to grips that they are no longer in charge. It has been incredibly challenging to find cuts we can agree on to resolve the $239 million gap. It begs the question: If everything is a priority, is then nothing a priority?

I hope we have a final agreement on the Higher Education bill soon after Easter.

*Crime victim services*

In response to wild inconsistency in funding to support the rising number of crime victims in our state, I am co-authoring a bill (H.F. 1082 [ [link removed] ]) to establish a Minnesota Victims of Crime Account. I spent the last couple months brainstorming with Rep. Kelly Moller on bipartisan solutions for how to stabilize this important issue and am pleased with the proposal we developed. I will be tracking this legislation during omnibus bill season in the House to ensure it is included and may address this issue in further detail another time. For now, here is a recent article [ [link removed] ] with more background on the bill.

*Fraud Committee*

Regular meetings are winding down for most House committees as they wrap up work on budget bills. The Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee is one exception and we will continue conducting regular meetings to ask the hard questions and hold state agencies accountable. Watch for more from that committee soon.

*Teacher pensions*

The subject of teacher pensions has become a big point of discussion in the House recently. This is just one issue that maybe should have been addressed when the state had an $18 billion surplus, but the former Democrat trifecta failed to do so and now it’s come up at a time the state has a $6 billion shortfall looming.

Before we go any further on this topic, I want to thank our local teachers for the work you do every day to help put our children on a path to success. Your dedication to our youth is commendable and makes a lifelong difference.

Supporting educators – including through strong, sustainable pensions – remains a top priority for House Republicans. In fact, a recent press conference took place where members of our caucus presented options to improve teacher retirement.

Rather than continuing to provide taxpayer-funded lunches for high-income families, H.F. 2201 [ [link removed] ] would preserve free breakfast for all students while asking families of four earning more than $156,000 to cover the cost of their own children's lunches. This change would free up approximately $112 million annually to be redirected toward pensions and flexible funding for classrooms.

Proposed pension changes (H.F. 2318 [ [link removed] ] and H.F. 2329 [ [link removed] ]) would be funded by reallocating Q-Comp and savings from reforms proposed in the aforementioned H.F. 2201 [ [link removed] ].

Pensions are a long-term commitment, but too often the Legislature has taken a short-sighted approach, missing meaningful opportunities to improve retirement security for those who dedicate their careers to our children. These proposals are reasonable, lower-cost options that could help retain and support our teachers without putting long-term strain on the system.

This issue remains a work in progress. I’ll keep advocating for flexible, local funding and fair support for our teachers and welcome your thoughts, ideas and questions. Thanks again for your service and keep up the great work!






Please Contact Me

As always, if you need assistance on an issue pertaining to state government or have concerns or ideas about legislation, my office is available to you. You can e-mail at [email protected] or call my office at 651-296-5063. You can also write a letter to me. My office address at the 2nd Floor Centennial Office Building, 658 Cedar Street, St. Paul, MN 55155.

MR












2nd Floor Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar Street
Saint Paul, MN 55155                              [email protected]
651.296.5063







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