Dear Neighbor, Another busy week at the Capitol is underway as we now enter the final five weeks of the 2026 session with a number of key decisions on tap between now and our May 17 deadline to adjourn. Here is a look at the latest from the House: Higher Education Committee  Above, it was great to have College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences Dean Brian Buhr and Prof. Jake Jungers present on regenerative agriculture during a Higher Education Committee meeting at the Capitol on Thursday, April 9.  Thursday, April 9 was regenerative ag day in the Higher Education Committee. In the biennial budget, $85 million is allocated to two programs at the U of M. Ag Extensions offices that are in all 87 counties and ag experiment stations that have 10 locations across Minnesota and help fund ag research on the St. Paul campus. We also fund ag educators and a large animal vet loan forgiveness program. The governor tried to eliminate both last session. A more affordable MN  Minnesotans are feeling increased financial pressure from all directions. The cost of everyday essentials continues to rise, making it more difficult for families and businesses to keep up no matter how hard they work. House Republicans outlined a series of solutions through our North Star Comeback plan, which will improve affordability, ensure government operates effectively, and strengthens Minnesota’s economy. At the core of this plan are meaningful tax cuts so Minnesotans can keep more of what they earn. We are proposing nearly $4 billion in tax cuts, the largest reduction in state history. Tax cuts include: - One-time property tax refund
- Eliminating taxes on tips and overtime
- Reducing childcare costs
- Lowering vehicle tab fees
We are also directing hundreds of millions of dollars to Minnesota schools through scholarship granting organizations without increasing the tax burden. And we are fighting to create an Office of Inspector General to combat fraud with improved oversight and modernize county IT systems, which haven’t been updated since the 90s, to stop fraud before it happens. Judiciary Committee  An interesting hearing took place on Thursday, April 9 as the Judiciary Committee discussed a bill that has local implications. This bill (H.F. 4077) says local governments (like cities or counties) can’t sign Nondisclosure Agreements (NDAs) with private companies about things like land development, projects funded with taxpayer money, financial commitments, or taxes. If a contract includes a clause that tries to hide that kind of information, that part of the contract won’t be valid or enforceable, but the rest of the contract can still stand. The primary issue driving this discussion is the impact of data centers on Minnesota communities. In Monticello, for example, there is a proposal for a new data center, and it has generated significant concern among residents. Our community already hosts the Monticello nuclear power plant, and we’ve carried the responsibilities and risks that come with that for decades, so I understand why people are raising questions about adding another large-scale facility. As much as I appreciate transparency, I have some concerns about how broad and far-reaching this particular bill is, and the potential for unintended consequences. Given that most of the concerns seem to center specifically on data centers, I asked during the committee meeting whether the authors would consider narrowing the scope of this bill to focus on that issue alone, rather than taking a very broad approach. The response I received to my question was that it’s not just about data centers. In truth, it is all about data centers. I haven’t heard any other similar concerns rise to the level as what we’re hearing with data centers, and it is not even close. While this bill did not have the votes to move forward at this hearing, there are many other bills coming that directly address the issues we are facing in our communities surrounding data centers. Girls sports  House Republicans on Tuesday, April 7, attempted to advance three separate bills to protect safe and fair athletic competitions for biological females. House Democrats blocked each motion. The Preserving Girls Sports Act (H.F. 12) is one of three bills House Republicans tried to bring up for a vote. It specifically states that only biological female students may participate in school sports restricted on the basis of sex to biological women or girls. We0 also made a motion to act on two similar bills (H.F. 2685 and H.F. 1233), but Democrats stopped those on separate votes as well. By failing to pass it into law, the door remains open for biological males to continue participating in Minnesota girls sports even though polls show around 80 percent of people agree with the bill’s position. The action on the House floor comes after the Department of Justice announced in March that it is suing Minnesota to protect girls sports. The suit alleges Minnesota is violating Title IX by allowing biological male athletes to compete in girls competition, creating an unfair playing field and limiting opportunities for female athletes. In addition, starting with the 2028 Los Angeles Games, the International Olympic Committee has implemented a new policy prohibiting athletes who have gone through male puberty from competing in the female category. This policy restricts the women's category to biological females, which the IOC said aims to protect the fairness, safety, and integrity of female sports. Meanwhile, our state remains an outlier on this issue. The Minnesota Supreme Court in October ruled that excluding males from female athletics based on sex qualifies as illegal “public accommodation” discrimination. And the Minnesota State High School League refuses to comply with a federal ban on biological males competing in female sports. Last spring, a biological male pitcher led a female softball team to a state championship with a shutout in the title game. During the floor debate of these bills, one DFL House member said, “gender binary is a colonial export and not an immutable, global truth.” Click here for that video. |