Having trouble viewing this email?  [ [link removed] ]View it as a Web page [ [link removed] ].






Lawrence 2025 header




04.10.2026






Legislative Update

Friends, 

We’re moving through the heart of session right now, and this is usually the point where you start to see what’s actually going to move and what isn’t. With deadlines behind us and a tied 67-67 House, every vote matters, and it only takes one person to decide whether something gets across the finish line or not.

This week, we had a few votes that I think are worth taking a step back and talking through. Not just because of the issues themselves, but because of what the outcomes say about where things stand right now at the Capitol.

 

Car tabs and property taxes

On Thursday, we took up something I hear about all the time back home, the cost of living.

We brought forward proposals to lower car tab fees [ [link removed] ] and provide a one-time property tax refund [ [link removed] ]. These weren’t complicated ideas. They were meant to give people some breathing room right now.

Same result as we’ve been seeing too often. Not a single Democrat voted yes. Both failed.

On car tabs specifically, this one really gets under people’s skin, and for good reason. The formula was changed a couple years ago, and ever since then, Minnesotans have been paying more and more every year just to keep their car on the road. It feels like a cash grab because, for a lot of families, that’s exactly what it is.

It's even harder to justify is when you look at our neighbors. In Wisconsin, registering a $30,000 vehicle is around $85 a year. Here in Minnesota, that same vehicle is closer to $400. Same winters. Same kind of roads. But four times the cost.

There’s been a lot of talk about how high these fees have gotten, even talk of raising them even more (5 Times More to be Exact [ [link removed] ]), but when there was a chance to scale them back, nothing moved.

That tells me this isn’t a revenue problem. Minnesota already ranks near the top nationally when it comes to taxes. Families aren’t sitting around asking to pay more. They’re trying to keep up with what they’re already paying.

The property tax piece fits right into that. We’re seeing increases year after year, and for some people, especially seniors on fixed incomes, it’s getting to the point where staying in their home is no longer a given. Meanwhile, the state just went through an $18 billion surplus, raised taxes by another $10 billion, and still sits on a short-term $3.7 billion surplus today.

Using a portion of that to provide a one-time refund seemed like a pretty reasonable step. Not a permanent fix, but at least an acknowledgment that people are stretched thin and could use some help right now.

A lot of folks assume their property taxes go mostly to local things like schools and roads. Some of it does, but a growing share of these increases is tied to costs being pushed onto local governments to cover new state programs. That’s a big part of why this keeps getting worse.

None of this was meant to solve everything overnight. But lowering car tabs and giving some property tax relief would’ve been a real, immediate step in the right direction.

*Girls’ sports*

Earlier in the week on Tuesday, we voted on HF 2685 [ [link removed] ]. I’ve talked about this a bit already, but it’s worth going through again because of how it played out.

The bill just says girls’ teams are for girls.

This wasn’t coming out of nowhere either. The U.S. Department of Justice is now taking action over how Title IX is being applied here in Minnesota, and we’re seeing similar conversations play out across the country. The International Olympic Committee has also made it clear that women’s events at the 2028 Olympics will be reserved for biological females.

We had a chance to deal with it here at the state level.

Every Republican voted yes. Every Democrat voted no. The bill failed.

What stood out to me wasn’t just the vote, it was the conversation around it. Instead of talking about fairness for girls, the discussion drifted all over the place. National politics, unrelated issues, anything but the actual question in front of us.

At the end of the day, this is pretty straightforward. If boys are competing in girls’ sports, girls lose opportunities. Roster spots, playing time, titles, scholarships. That’s just reality, and pretending otherwise doesn’t fix anything.

We’re going to keep working on this. I’m open to working with Democrats if they’re willing to come to the table with something that actually acknowledges reality and treats girls’ sports fairly. That means valuing the effort, the goals, and the dreams of female athletes the same way we already do for boys.

I’ll be honest, I’m glad my daughter never had to deal with this when she was in youth sports. But that also makes it pretty clear to me we’ve got a responsibility to make sure the next generation doesn’t have to either.

At the end of the day, none of this is complicated as some people like to make it seem.

People want to be able to afford to live here without feeling like they’re falling further behind every year. And they want to know their kids are being treated fairly.

Those were the votes this week. We had a chance to move the needle on both, and we didn’t get there.

That doesn’t change anything for me. It just means I will have to keep at it until we deliver results for Minnesota. 

As always, I appreciate hearing from you, and I hope you have a great weekend. 

Sincerely, 

"Representative Bryan Lawrence"

"House District 27B"






Please Contact Me

It's an honor to be your voice in St. Paul. Please don't hesitate to reach out with questions, concerns, or ideas. Your voice helps me better represent our community. If you'd like to reply, please do so at [email protected], or call at 651.296.5364, as responses to this newsletter do not get to my inbox.











Facebook Icon [ [link removed] ]

 

/RepBryanLawrence [ [link removed] ]





2nd Floor Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar Street
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.5364







________________________________________________________________________

Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page [ [link removed] ]. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com [ [link removed] ].

This service is provided to you at no charge by Minnesota House GOP [ [link removed] ].

________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Minnesota House GOP · 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. · Saint Paul, MN 55155 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]