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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It was another busy week in St. Paul. Last night we had our first post-midnight debate, staying on the floor until 5:30 a.m. debating a bill that, if passed by the Senate and signed by the Governor, would make Minnesota a sanctuary state for transgender care, including children.
In addition to floor debates and Committee work, I also had several meetings with constituents, like the wonderful lady pictured right. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to make the trek to St. Paul to share your views with me this session!
I hope your NCAA basketball bracket is doing better than mine! I also hope you enjoy the warmer temperatures this weekend ? I think spring has finally arrived, however grudgingly!
Have a great weekend!
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Executive Summary
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Budget Targets Released
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Transgender Health Care Bill
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Budget Targets Released
This week, the Governor, Speaker of the House, and Senate Majority Leader announced their agreement on budget targets for each Committee. As a reminder, the legislature must set the new two-year budget in the first year of the biennium, which is this session. Minnesota has a $17.5 billion surplus, but only $5 billion of it is on-going money. The DFL Majority, however, is planning to spend the entire surplus.
Key spending targets include:
- $2.2 billion for Education.
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$3 billion for Taxes. This doesn't mean that we will see $3 billion in tax cuts - there are a lot of proposals for "spending" through refundable tax credits, refunds, and various aids (like Local Government Aid), .
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Nearly $670 million for Paid Family Leave.?This target seems far too low, given that the projected setup costs alone are far above this figure.
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$310 million in "other spending."?This could potentially include funding a new Office of Cannabis Management if Minnesota legalizes recreational marijuana.?
You can see the full budget agreement?here.?
The Governor has already proposed increasing the state budget by 30%, which is unsustainable, even at the current high tax rates.?DFL leaders are setting us up for a significant budget deficit if this spending spree goes unchecked.?I will continue to fight to cut tax rates, eliminate the tax on Social Security and making prudent investments that will grow our economy.
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Transgender Health Care Bill
Last night Democrats passed a bill,?HF 146, to make Minnesota a sanctuary state for those seeking ?gender-affirming health care,? including children. I voted against this bill for several reasons:
- It?fails to protect kids, who can be brought to Minnesota ?by one parent or a person acting as parent??and be given transgender care, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and genital surgery, in some cases without their parents? permission.?There are no age limits on how old children must be before getting these irreversible treatments.
- It creates a new definition of ?gender-affirming healthcare? that ?respects the gender identity of the patient,?as experienced and defined by the patient.??This is an unheard-of standard, where the patient,?including a minor, can self-diagnose and the doctor must provide care according to the patient?s definition.
- It undermines parents? long-standing Constitutional rights to direct the upbringing of their children.
I have great compassion for anyone who is struggling with their identity, particularly children who are being bombarded with confusing messages every day. But there is no clear consensus in the medical community on an evidence-based standard of care. Indeed, 80-90% of children who experience gender incongruence eventually stop experiencing dysphoria if they don?t transition. We should not be allowing minors to make irreversible medical decisions they are not emotionally or cognitively mature enough to make.
Countries who have been ahead of the U.S. in using puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgical intervention are now changing course.?Finland, the UK and France have all backed away from their previous aggressive intervention policies. Recently, Sweden decided to disallow puberty blockers for minors under age 16. Leading doctors who work with transgender youth are now advocating extended psychotherapy and investigation into the potential causes of feelings of dysphoria before affirming, let alone transitioning.?
Other countries are slowing down the rush to life-altering treatments. Minnesota should learn from their mistakes and proceed with extreme caution.
Increasing numbers of kids are regretting their life-altering decisions and are trying to desist or detransition, but in many cases they may have permanently changed their bodies through hormones, puberty blockers or surgery that cannot be undone.?
One of my top priorities is protecting children. That's why I have championed other legislation, like my SOTA Kids Act, to protect children from online targeting by social companies. We need to protect kids and uphold parents? rights, but this bill failed to do that.
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Photos
The Capitol Rotunda was beautiful and quiet in the wee hours of the night as I took a walk to stay awake during the hours of debate last night!
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Please Contact Me
Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any matters to which I can be of assistance.?I?d also love to meet you if you are coming to the Capitol!
The best way to reach me is by email:?[email protected]. For occasional updates, you can follow my Facebook Page at @RepKristinRobbins. You can also leave a voicemail on my office number, 651-296-7806, which is checked multiple times/week.
Have a great weekend!
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Kristin
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239 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806 |
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