Dear Neighbors,  

With Session officially ending at midnight on Monday, and several budgets left incomplete, we are now entering a Special Session to finalize the remaining budgets. Although frustrated by the need for this, we were able to accomplish, and pass, many Budgets and Bills prior to Monday’s deadline. Here is a recap of the activity: 

Budgets and Policy  

We successfully cut five billion dollars in spending this Session. This agreement represents the largest spending cut in Minnesota history and provides a substantial reduction to our deficit. It’s a major win for Minnesotans concerned about growth in government and ideological provisions. It includes:   

• Preserving non-public pupil aid.   

• Eliminating free healthcare for illegal immigrant adults.   

• Reducing payroll taxes to ease the burden of any Paid Family Medical leave      starting in 2026 (we are still working on a delay for these crushing small business provisions).

• Instituting Reinsurance to help limit the growth in healthcare costs.   

• Stopping the failed Northern Lights Express Train project.   

• No tax increase on families No provider tax.   

• No HMO surcharge tax.

• No “5th tier” income tax.   

• No Unemployment insurance for striking workers.  

• No more funding to unaccountable non-profits like Feeding our Future.   

Commerce  

As one of a half dozen legislators on the Commerce Conference Committee I will be working out the details of the Commerce Bill over the next few days. I maintain we need to: make Minnesota a competitive state for small businesses and eliminate red tape for new job creators.   

Education Finance and Policy  

This Bill passed in the House and should be resolved within the next day or two. We sunset Hourly Unemployment Insurance for hourly school workers in 2028. The one-time funding for this year came from the Northern Light Express budget. Please consider watching my House floor speech on this issue. If we can find money from trains for this unfunded mandate on our schools, then why can’t we do the same for pension funding and money for classroom needs?  

Thankfully, non-public pupil aid is funded, homeschooling regulations are out, and there is more funding flexibility for schools (versus unfunded mandates which put pressure on our districts, cities and counties).