We’ll do what we can in Minnesota to plan for the future, but it’s a task that would be made easier if our Republican colleagues rejected this notion that government only exists to cater to billionaires.
As we set our budget this year, it’ll be our community and working families throughout the state that’ll be at the forefront of my mind, not the wealthy and well-connected.
Republicans’ Bad Bills
If turning a blind eye to the impact of President Trump on our economy wasn’t enough, this week Republicans wasted valuable time on bad bills that had no chance of passing the Minnesota House.
We started the week with a bill that would’ve bullied trans kids while making it difficult for all girls to play sports in Minnesota, and last night they put forward a “Shoot First” bill that would only make our state less safe. Both these bills did not pass because my DFL colleagues and I stood united against them.
In my last update, I went over recent data that shows how gun violence prevention measures like extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) are saving lives. Instead of building on Minnesota’s efforts to curb gun violence, Republicans want to roll back that progress.
Currently, 27 states have Shoot First laws, and every one of them has a higher rate of gun deaths than Minnesota, with the average rate of gun deaths being more than twice Minnesota’s. Shoot First laws are also associated with heavy racial bias. A study in Florida found that white shooters killing Black victims are deemed justifiable five times more frequently than when the situation is reversed.
I’ll continue to fight to make sure bills like these never become law in Minnesota.
State Workers Who Make Our State Work!
I want to give a huge shout out to the folks at MAPE who visited with me at the Capitol this week!
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