Legislative UpdateDear Friends, It’s been another eventful week here in St. Paul, but this is one for the history books -- literally. For those of you who don’t know, an organizing deal was agreed to between House Republican and Democrat leadership teams late Wednesday night that will dramatically shift the political landscape in Minnesota. Victory for Republicans and the State of Minnesota. For the first time in six years, the Minnesota House of Representatives will be led by a Republican Speaker. This wouldn’t have been possible without the groundswell of support from the people of Minnesota and leadership from Speaker Demuth and Majority Leader Niska. Thank you to each of you that called, emailed, and showed up at the Capitol to share your thoughts and perspectives! This organizing deal also guarantees Republicans will retain control of all committee chairs and majorities until at least March 11th when the special election in Roseville happens. This will allow us to focus on the issues facing Minnesota, such as fraud, election integrity, and educational mandates to name a few! If Republicans win the special election, this majority will continue. Should the Democrats win the special election in Roseville, the committee structure will revert to a split roster with co-chairs. Regardless of the special election, Speaker Lisa Demuth will continue in her role for two years, even if the House returns to a 67-67 split. Additionally, the GOP-led House Fraud and Agency Oversight Committee will investigate fraud in state government programs. Republicans will chair the committee for two years and have a 5-3 voting margin over Democrats. This is a tremendous win for Minnesota, a state in desperate need of financial oversight. Lastly, there will be a full legislative hearing on the election in Shakopee. This will allow us to investigate, identify, and address election issues that happened in this race. Election integrity is the foundation of a functional democracy and should never be taken lightly. We have strict standards and rules for a reason. House Republicans are committed to getting the facts straight and ensuring that our state’s elections are transparent, fair, and law-abiding. Consequences of Democrat Actions Paved the Road to Republican Victory It is also important to remember the reason for the turmoil in the Minnesota House is because the Democrats made the choice to endorse and run a candidate in Roseville that did not live in the district. This highlights an important lesson: actions have consequences. What’s Next? With the groundwork laid over the past four weeks, we are ready and excited to hit the ground running and have already put together bills to: - Improve our children’s education by supporting our schools and reducing mandates.
- Strengthening election integrity.
- Addressing affordability issues facing Minnesotans such as increased energy costs and taxes.
- Supporting public safety in our communities
Education Priorities: A Personal Commitment I have enjoyed the many conversations with educators and parents from across our state to get their firsthand perspective on the issues facing our education system. It’s clear to me that our schools are weighed down with excessive mandates which are tying the hands of educators and locally elected officials. To address these issues, my colleagues and I have introduced bills that would allow districts the freedom to make decisions and innovate at the local level, strengthen students’ ability to read, and direct the Department of Education to focus on student achievement. Another important problem is student attendance and truancy. This is something I am passionate about solving and has bi-partisan support. This is not only an educational issue, but also a public safety issue. Simply put, if students are in school learning, they will not be causing issues in our community. Governor Walz has recently proposed cutting funding to our local schools while increasing spending at the Department of Education. These cuts include cutting teacher professional development, cutting services for special education students, and cutting non-public schools pupil aid. I strongly oppose these cuts and if Governor Walz wants to make budget cuts in education, he should begin by looking at the growth in the Department of Education in recent years. |