Legislative Update
Dear Neighbor,
Hope you are enjoying the fall season. Here is a look at just some of my latest notes from the House:
Supreme Court decision is a setback for biological females
The Minnesota Supreme Court — urged on by Governor Walz, Attorney General Ellison, and Minnesota Democrats — recently ruled that biological males have the right to compete in female athletics. This decision could have far-reaching consequences, threatening girls sports in Minnesota unless we clarify the law.
It’s already starting to happen, with more and more articles surfacing of biological males dominating female athletics in Minnesota and across the nation. A United Nations report found that female athletes around the world have lost almost 900 medals to biological men in competition. In addition, a quick internet search reveals numerous stories of girls competing against biological males in women’s sports being injured — everything from concussions to losing teeth.
House Republicans saw this coming and introduced two bills earlier this year to provide clear protections for female athletes and ensure fairness in competition. The Preserving Girls Sports Act (H.F. 12) specifically states that only biologically female students may participate in school sports restricted on the basis of sex to women or girls. Polls show about 80 percent of people agree with the bill’s position, yet House Democrats blocked it from advancing.
Unfortunately, for now, the door remains open for biological males to continue participating in girls sports, as confirmed by the Minnesota Supreme Court. Last week’s ruling in Cooper v. USA Powerlifting found that USA Powerlifting discriminated against a transgender athlete by banning the biological male from women’s events under the Human Rights Act. However, the court sent the case back to a lower court to decide if a “competitive fairness” defense could be valid.
It’s time to set aside politics and protect girls’ sports so we can ensure their competitions are safe and fair.
Former state official has sharp comments on fraud
Former non-partisan Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles, Minnesota’s chief government watchdog for 38 years, stated in the Star Tribune that the Walz Administration was “obviously negligent” in detecting and preventing fraud. Click here for the story.
Mr. Nobles says that then-House Speaker Melissa Hortman told him that DFL committee chairs had been "instructed not to give his fraud reports public hearings." This confirms what House Republicans have long said: the Walz Administration has been utterly incompetent at stopping fraudsters from stealing from taxpayers, families, and Minnesotans in need who depend on these programs.
What shocked me most was that the former DFL Chair of Health and Human Services refused to even hold a hearing on the OLA findings concerning $100 million in daycare fraud. I recall several Democrats dismissing and downplaying that report as false. Now DHS whistle-blowers believe $6.5 billion has been stolen just in DHS under Walz.
The House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee, with a sole Republican Chair, is eager to have the Office of the Legislative Auditor as often as needed to help us understand what is actually happening. Our door is wide open.
Wright Technical Center
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