Hello from the State Capitol,
Once again, the Minnesota House had the opportunity to stop sex-based discrimination in this state by passing the Preserving Girls Sports Act, which would ensure only girls would be eligible to play in girls sports. Once again, every House Democrat opposed this common sense measure, and the bill failed to advance by one vote.
A recent lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against the State of Minnesota notes the state is violating the federal Title IX law, which ensures fairness and safety for female student athletes. This is why passing the Preserving Girls Sports Act is so critical.
Title IX gives girls and women the right to equal opportunity in athletic competitions. When you allow a boy to compete in the same events, it destroys that opportunity. A girl loses a roster spot to that boy. A girl loses playing time to that boy. A girl who hopes of winning a championship, either with their team or individual, sees a boy standing on the platform instead. All because our government refuses to recognize legitimate, scientific facts that boys and girls are created differently.
At least 80% of Minnesotans, including a majority of Democrats, believe boys have no business playing in girls sports. Yet not one House Democrat could muster up the courage to support girls. Make no mistake, their vote against the Preserving Girls Sports Act was a vote to continue sex-based discrimination in this state.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS BLOCK BILLS PROVIDING YOU WITH PROPERTY TAX AND VEHICLE TAB FEE RELIEF
If you own a car, you have likely noticed the price of vehicle tab fees have skyrocketed by hundreds of dollars. Those who own newer vehicles have seen the most egregious increases. There is no reason someone should by paying close to $1000 a year just for the privilege of putting a sticker on their license plate, especially when a tab for that same vehicle would cost $85 if it was registered in Wisconsin.
On Thursday, the Minnesota House considered a bill that would have brought Minnesota’s vehicle tab fees on newer and older vehicles back to pre-2023 levels. Doing so would have provided nearly $1 billion in tax relief for drivers, and likely hundreds of dollars in savings to you. All Republican supported the measure. All Democrats voted against it.
We also took action on legislation that would have provided a one-time property tax refund to Minnesota’s property owners. Once again, all Republicans voted yes and all Democrats voted no, which means both measures failed by one vote due to a tie between Republicans and Democrats in the Minnesota House.
STOPPING NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
Legislation I’m working on that would restrict local municipalities from entering into non-disclosure agreements (NDA’s) about projects using public funding was heard in the House judiciary finance committee this week.
NDA’s prevent city officials and elected officials from being transparent with the public about what they’re doing. The issue moved to the forefront during data center discussions, when council members and planning commissions signed NDA’s preventing them from discussing their actions. That’s not how government is supposed to operate. City officials and elected officials should be transparent, and signing an NDA is an easy way to avoid criticism from decisions they may or may not be making.
The bill suffered a temporary setback as it did not move forward due to a tie vote, but that may not mean it is dead for the remainder of session. I will continue to keep you updated as things move forward.
PASS THROUGH ENTITY TAX REMAINS IN LIMBO
With Tax Day just around the corner, I’m saddened to report no progress has been made on the pass-through entity tax. It allows small and medium sized business owners to receive a deduction on their federal taxes, which saves them thousands of dollars but doesn’t cost the state a penny.
It’s been used for years by tens of thousands of business owners across the state, but is expiring. All it needs is a basic rubber stamp from the legislature, yet House Democrats are refusing to pass it because they want to hold it hostage and use it as an end of session bargaining chip.
It’s politics at its worst, and the latest example of Democrats putting political power before doing what’s best for the people of Minnesota.
In liberty,
Drew