Hello from the State Capitol,
With the 2026 session now in the rearview mirror, I found plenty of positives and negatives during the final days of session. While we were able to get some needed provisions in place, the process taken to get us to the finish line is troublesome and has to be changed.
The way major legislation comes together at the end of session is deeply flawed, as a small group of negotiators make decisions behind closed doors, and lawmakers are handed massive bills just hours before a vote is called. Some of these bills are hundreds of pages long, leaving little to no time to fully review or understand what they contain.
I cannot support legislation that hasn’t been properly vetted. Legislators have a responsibility to know exactly what is in a bill before voting on it, both the good and the bad. My constituents expect transparency, accountability, and thoughtful decision-making, and it’s not unreasonable to expect lawmakers to have adequate time to read and understand the legislation before casting a vote.
As for what did make it across the finish line, residents will benefit from $400 million in tax relief. Two years ago, an all Democrat-led state government in the House, Senate, and governor’s office wasted an $18 billion surplus, raised taxes by $10 billion and grew government spending by 40%. With their expensive policies now impacting affordability for families, tax relief is desperately needed.
$125 million in property tax cuts and $250 million in car tab fee reductions were enacted. However, I’m disappointed that more tax relief wasn’t able to be delivered to more Minnesotans - and that these measures are only temporary rather than permanent.
To address growing concerns over fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars, lawmakers approved the creation of an independent Office of the Inspector General (OIG) tasked with investigating state agencies, grant recipients, and contractors involved in fraud or other criminal misuse of public funds. I also supported long-overdue investments to help counties modernize the technology systems used to administer human services programs, improving efficiency, strengthening security protections, and enhancing eligibility verification. In addition, approved welfare reforms will require able-bodied adults receiving Medicaid benefits to work, participate in job training, or pursue education to maintain eligibility.
But while at times it was a struggle to approve legislation in the Minnesota House with 67 Republicans and 67 Democrats, I want to remind everyone of what could have passed if Democrats had just one more member.
More than 20 misguided gun control proposals that ignored the 2nd Amendment were discussed. This included legislation that would have created some of the most extreme anti-gun laws in the country, including proposals that would have outlawed many common handguns and hunting rifles. This is the type of nonsense that will become law if Democrats ever retake total control of state government.
With session over, I’m looking forward to meeting with area residents over the next few months to discuss what took place over the past two years and to hear questions and concerns. Please contact me anytime at rep.marj.fogelman@house.mn.gov or 651.296.5373.
Have a good weekend,
Marj