Dear Friends and Neighbors, 

The session is moving forward at a fast pace. Here are some of the highlights (and low lights) of the past couple of weeks.

At the end of last week, the Senate passed Senate File 4, the 100% carbon-free by 2040 mandate, also known as the Minnesota Blackout bill, once again, without the Democrats allowing ANY amendment other than their own. It has now been signed into law by Governor Walz, 
This extreme Blackout bill puts all our eggs in the basket of unreliable energy sources. It endangers our families and businesses by mandating unreliable energy sources. The cost of monthly energy bills will go through the roof, with annual bills increasing by nearly $4,000 per family. These will hit the poor the hardest. It’s a horrible bill.

 As part of the discussion, the Republicans introduced an alternative.  The A+ Energy Plan. It represents a dependable, affordable energy plan by using all energy sources, including nuclear, renewable gas, and hydropower. This ‘all of the above’ approach is a practical solution for our growing energy needs. It ensures a constant energy supply at all times while keeping prices in check.”  It gives time for better and cheaper technologies to develop.  This new law will leave us shivering in the dark unless it is repealed.

First, we had SF1/HF1 The PRO Act, which created abortion on demand as not only a right but an entitlement to anyone who comes into our state and asks for one, at any stage of a pregnancy, for any reason, up until birth. It disavows any licensure or regulation of abortion, sterilization, and other surgeries to ensure that Abortion is not "safe, legal, and rare" but instead unsafe, legal, and commonplace. 

On the heels of this bill, we have several other bills coming soon that will dismantle all of the past legislation that created some guardrails.  

• HF 91/SF 70 will repeal pro-life laws, including the "Born Alive Act" that protects babies from being left alone to die after botched abortions.
• HF 289/SF 336 will get rid of the "positive alternatives program," which has provided women who don't want to have an abortion with resources and support for their pregnancy and newborn. This is a Walz administration priority.  
• HF 366/SF 165, which makes Minnesota an abortion sanctuary state for abortionists who break laws in other states.
• HF 174/SF 662, which would allow Planned Parenthood to become the preferred provider of sex ed information.  

If you care about the Life issue, please follow these bills and let legislators and Governor Walz know your thoughts. 

The $250 million Feeding our Future fraud scandal was just the beginning. A damning new report from the Legislative Auditor described the total lack of oversight of Minnesota’s state grant program as “pervasive noncompliance.”

Pervasive noncompliance. Those are their exact words. Minnesota awards more than $500 million in taxpayer-funded grants to nonprofits every year, and there is almost no oversight or accountability measures.

I highly recommend reading the entire report. You’ll see that there are systemic flaws within the way the state administers these grants, just as with Feeding our Future and childcare assistance program fraud before it. We have got to do better.

The disastrous, extreme driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants bill continues to move through the Senate and may be voted on as early as next week. Keep calling your elected officials and Gov. Walz to tell them what a terrible idea it is.

Remember: they will say it is a simple public safety fix, but it's much more extreme. Here are just two reasons why:

National Security Threat: The license will be identical to regular class D licenses, with no distinguishing features or text. That means until REAL ID is implemented, they could be used to access military bases and federal buildings across the country. It puts us in extreme jeopardy.

Elections Integrity Compromised: The licenses are identical to the legal citizen ones, so they could be easily used to register to vote. And since agencies are prohibited from sharing data with the Secretary of State, there is no way to track ineligible voters. It’s a recipe for fraud.

The bill is expansive, and extreme and puts Minnesota at risk in many ways. Again, please call your elected officials and Gov. Walz to tell them what you think.

Please contact me to share any issues, concerns, or feedback you have to assist me in best representing you.  The best way to reach me is by email at [email protected] or by phone at 651-296-5612. My legislative assistant is Margaret Martin, and her number is 651-296-4264.  

Sincerely,

Steve Drazkowski

Minnesota Senate, District 20, Wabasha, Goodhue, Winona, Olmsted, and Dakota Counties.

2411 Minnesota Senate Building

95 University Avenue W.
Minnesota Senate Bldg.
St. Paul, MN 55155