Dear Friends and Neighbors, I hope you had a meaningful Memorial Day weekend, taking time to honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and enjoyed some time with friends and family. Back here at the Capitol, we’re still hard at work trying to wrap up unfinished business. The regular legislative session officially ended on May 19th without a completed state budget, and it didn’t have to be this way. Democrats wasted the first 23 days of session refusing to come to work because they were upset that Republicans had a temporary one-seat majority after their candidate in Roseville was barred from taking office because he didn’t live in the district he ran for. That delay cost us precious time, and now Minnesotans are paying the price. Even more frustrating, Democrats walked away from several key budget agreements that had been the result of bipartisan negotiations. These were hard-fought compromises designed to keep the budget balanced and focused on core services, but when the pressure came, too many gave in to political demands and special interests. Here’s what’s holding us up: - In the Health bill, Democrats originally agreed to remove taxpayer-funded health care for undocumented immigrants after the program’s cost exploded, tripling initial projections. The state covers 100% of the cost for these individuals, while legal residents on MinnesotaCare receive nearly 90% of their support from the federal government. This is simply unaffordable, especially when we’re staring down a $6 billion deficit caused by years of unchecked spending.
- On Education, Democrats delayed for weeks because special interest groups objected to the compromise bill. Their concern? The bill would have removed unemployment benefits for temporary school workers who know their jobs only last nine months. Schools couldn’t afford it, and the state didn’t fund it, which led to budget chaos, staff layoffs, and fewer electives for students. Eventually, we reached a deal to temporarily cover this for one year using funds set aside for the Northern Lights Express, a high-speed train to Duluth that was never going to happen without federal funding that was never coming.
- In Workforce and Labor, the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program is a major sticking point. The program has good intentions, but the current structure is unworkable. It raises costs on small businesses, reduces workers’ paychecks, and has already seen its projected costs increase dramatically. We’re pushing for a one-year pause to rework the program so we can keep paid leave in place, but in a way that doesn’t crush employers or break the bank.
- And in Transportation, we’re close to a deal, but debates remain over greenhouse gas emission mandates. These mandates would drive up construction costs, which is counterintuitive given that the overall transportation bill is largely focused on major road improvements. The pause would allow time for businesses to adjust to the new standards and help keep costs lower.
Despite all this, I remain optimistic that we’ll get this across the finish line. Working groups made up of House and Senate members are meeting around the clock to finalize the details. They have a firm deadline of today at 7:00 pm. Any bill not resolved by then will be negotiated by leadership so we can get special session rolling. The earliest we could see a special session would be the end of this week, but, more likely, we will begin sometime early to mid-week next week. Since everything should be mostly agreed to, special session shouldn’t take too long, but we do have to allow time for our non-partisan staff to draft the bills and get everything organized. We owe it to the people of Minnesota to get this right. I’ll continue fighting for a responsible budget that protects taxpayers, supports our veterans and first responders, and keeps government focused on its core mission. Sincerely, |