Dear Neighbors, On Monday, we completed our budget work in a one-day special session, and I’m proud to say we also passed over $700 million in infrastructure investments in a Capital Investment Bonding Bill! As the House’s DFL Co-Chair of the Capital Investment Committee, I knew how important it was to get a Bonding Bill passed this year. The Bonding Bill is always a product of bipartisan compromise, something that it shares with all of this year’s successful pieces of legislation in our closely-divided legislature. As a result, everyone can find something to appreciate in the investments we made. Minnesota couldn’t wait any longer to address some of our critical infrastructure needs, and while there are many who would’ve liked to see more from this legislation, it does the needed work of taking care of what we have and investing in the projects Minnesotans are relying on. Funding for clean water, safe roads, secure housing, accessible mental health resources, and a great outdoors that’s preserved for the next generation can all be found in this legislation. I look forward to seeing the new projects and good-paying jobs our legislation funds! Our New State Budget While passing a Bonding Bill was crucial, we were constitutionally required to pass our remaining budget bills during our special session. We passed our Commerce, Energy, Environment and Natural Resources, Health, Children, and Families, Higher Education, Human Services, Jobs and Labor, K-12 Education, and Transportation budgets, as well as a Tax bill. All of these bills were the product of compromise, with each one containing provisions I support, and others I don’t. One bill I fully did not support was the Republican bill to kick our undocumented neighbors off of MinnesotaCare. As I said in my previous update, I would not vote for legislation that strips healthcare away from anyone, and I kept that promise. Unfortunately, this bill passed the legislature as it was part of a deal struck by legislative leaders and Governor Walz in order to pass our budget. Republicans held this as their #1 priority, and would have shut down all of the state services Minnesotans rely on if they didn’t get their way. This is a horrible bill, and a clear distinction of the different priorities at play in the Minnesota Legislature. My DFL colleagues are fighting to protect and advance the rights of working families in Minnesota. Republicans spent the legislative session working on behalf of billionaires and MAGA extremists. Though we didn’t get everything we fought for, I remain incredibly proud of the progress we protected. Republicans went after every single one of our wins from the last few years - wins that support and empower Minnesotans - but the DFL stood firm. |