Dear Neighbors,
Budget negotiations are ongoing between Governor Walz, House Speaker Hortman, and Senate Majority Leader Gazelka with just days remaining in this year’s legislative session. With negotiations taking place behind closed doors, I am disappointed that I don’t have more news to share with you.
What we do know is that House Democrats and Governor Walz have refused to make any reasonable, public, concessions on their extreme tax proposals. In total, Democrats are still seeking to raise taxes by more than $12 billion over the next four years.
This tax proposal is coming at a time when the state has a $1 billion budget surplus and tax revenues continue to come in higher than projected.
Simply put, these sorts of taxes are not needed. Period.
In other news, it appears that Democrats’ gun-grabbing bills will not become law this year. On Tuesday, the public safety conference committee took a vote to include two gun-control bills in their omnibus package. The motion failed on a party-line vote.
While it’s true that nothing is dead here in St. Paul until final adjournment, Tuesday’s vote would seem to indicate that these gun-grabbing bills will not be a part of any final budget deal.
Stay tuned on this. I will continue to fight hard to make sure your 2nd Amendment rights are respected.
Finally, Wednesday was Peace Officers Memorial Day. This is a yearly observance that pays tribute to the local, state, and federal peace officers who have died, or who have been disabled, in the line of duty.
Our law enforcement officers and their families make huge sacrifices to serve our communities. Thank you for all you do and a special thank you to those that paid the ultimate price. You are not forgotten.
As always, please be sure to reach out to me to share your thoughts and concerns. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-5356 or via email at rep.john.poston@house.mn.
Have a good weekend,
John