 Dear Neighbor,
Before we get into this week’s legislative notes, I want to offer a few words paying tribute to our true American heroes as we prepare to honor them this Memorial Day. Freedom isn’t free and they paid the price with courage, dedication, and selflessness to secure the freedoms we cherish today. Let us remember their legacy with gratitude and ensure their sacrifice is never forgotten. I plan to attend the Memorial Day event/parade at the St. Cloud VA. It runs from 10:30 to 1 and I hope you can be there as well to honor those who gave their all for us.
As for notes from the Capitol:
The 2025 session adjourned just before its constitutional deadline of midnight Monday without completing work on the state’s next two-year budget. I’ve been hearing some talk about us running out of time. Let’s remember the House Democrats stayed home the first 23 days of the session, putting us behind from the start. But they still collected a combined total exceeding $348,000 in paychecks while refusing to come to work. Now, a special session will cost taxpayers even more.
The above graphic shows where the finance bills stood as the legislature adjourned Monday.
With so much work left to do, legislators have continued meeting in St. Paul this week. It’s no small task in such a narrowly divided legislature, but Democrat vs. Democrat in-fighting has made things even more difficult. The radicals were even pounding on the door during a press conference in the governor’s reception room and conducted a press conference of their own to push their unpopular, radical ideas. Click here for more on those issues.
The governor is the only one who can call a special session to finish our budget work and we need to have agreement on the remaining bills before he will do so. Meanwhile, House Republicans are focusing on helping all Minnesotans by sticking to our core priorities for this session, including:
|
 Education
We are working hard to resolve the state’s $6 billion projected shortfall and continue pushing back against bad ideas from across the aisle. Take, for example, the K-12 budget bill that is still awaiting final approval. House Republicans remain committed to ensuring our schools not only receive necessary funding but also have the flexibility to meet the unique needs of individual students and communities.
We’re also working to protect non-public pupil aid, which supports services like transportation and school nurses for students in private or non-public schools. Unfortunately, the governor and some Democrats have pushed to eliminate this aid, an unfair move that punishes families for making a different educational choice.
House Republicans are standing firm. We’ve made it clear that we will not support an education budget that cuts this critical aid. We’re fighting for Minnesotans to have access to the education they believe is best for their children. It was great to see so many people show up at a recent Capitol rally to support non-public schools.
With that in mind, I enjoyed meeting with students and staff from St. Wendelin in St. Augusta. Here’s a photo of the group:
 Helpful House links
Here are some links you may find helpful in following the latest goings on at the Capitol:
Please Contact Me
It’s an honor and privilege to work for you at the Capitol. Don’t hesitate to contact my office at any time this session to share your thoughts, concerns or ideas. You can call me at 651-296-6316, or email me at [email protected]. I am here to serve you!
Bernie
|
