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Dear Neighbors, 

These last couple of weeks have been busy ones, filled with incredible highs and lows. We laid Melissa and Mark Hortman to rest, recognized the 5-year anniversary of Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act along with the tragedy and tenacity that led to this accomplishment, marked the 249th birthday of the United States of America, and saw a terrible federal bill be signed into law while much of our work at the state level began to be implemented.

At the state and federal level, these new laws will begin to impact Minnesota - for better or worse - so let’s start with new policies and investments passed by the Minnesota Legislature this year that took effect on July 1st:

 

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*Minnesota’s New Laws*

July 1st is a sort of legislative New Year, with the majority of our new state budget being put in place and new policies being enacted. As with all of this year’s successful legislation, these new laws are the product of bipartisan compromise. While there are certainly components of the budget I wish went further, especially with our federal partners dropping the ball, there are still plenty of new commonsense policies and investments to be proud of. 

Highlights include required access to free water at ticketed events of 100 or more people, protections for children in online media, and assistance for homeowners and tenants when dealing with HOAs.

Minnesota Public Radio provided a brief overview of some of these laws and more [ [link removed] ], but if you’d like a deep dive of what’s been implemented, you can read a nonpartisan summary of all the new laws here [ [link removed] ]. 

 

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*Federal Cuts to Medicaid, Food Assistance, and more*

While you can find a lot to like in some of Minnesota’s new laws, the same can’t be said for the “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed by Congressional Republicans and signed by President Trump last week. While it’s certainly big, I find it hard to see anything beautiful in providing the largest-ever cuts to Medicaid [ [link removed] ] and SNAP [ [link removed] ], dissolving our country’s social safety net at a time when people need it the most. 

But that’s not all - this new law defunds Planned Parenthood, closes rural hospitals, increases the cost of living, and puts everyday Americans in jeopardy, all to subsidize tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and well-connected. 

As we think about the bills we managed to pass in Minnesota this year, I’m reminded of one that wasn’t able to cross the finish line due to Republican obstruction. These cruel federal cuts were a long time coming, which is why my DFL colleagues and I introduced legislation that would have ensured Medicaid remained fully funded in Minnesota [ [link removed] ] despite these national cuts - by taxing the millionaires and billionaires who are profiting from this federal bill. I will be pushing for this and other bills that put people before the ultra-rich and mitigate the ways this bill will make life more expensive for Minnesotans.

The full impact of these cuts have yet to be felt, with some of the cuts delayed for over a year, but it’s clear their impact will be wide-reaching. With our state budget balanced before the federal budget was slashed, it’s possible a special session of the Minnesota Legislature will still be needed this year to address the shortfalls being handed to Minnesotans by the Trump administration. I’ll be sure to keep you posted if that becomes the case. 

 

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*Stay Connected*

Now that we’re truly in the legislative interim, please continue to reach out with any questions, comments, or ideas you may have on how to make our community and state better. 

I look forward to hearing from you!

In partnership,

 

Michael Howard








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