Dear Neighbor,
Greetings from St. Paul, where more and more of our time will be spent on the House floor as we make our way toward the May 17 deadline to adjourn. Committee work will wind down with the arrival of next week’s third and final bill deadline and then we will be voting on this session’s biggest bills as a full body.
Here’s the latest from the House as we prepare to enter the final five weeks of the 2026 session:
Affordability is a top priority
 Right now, Minnesotans are feeling squeezed from every direction. Groceries, childcare, housing, insurance, energy ... the basics just keep getting more expensive. Families are working harder, but falling further behind. House Republicans understand this and we conducted a press conference this week to share some ways we can lessen the burden on Minnesotans through the North Star Comeback plan. This is a focused, practical package built around making Minnesota more affordable, making government work, and getting our economy moving again. This plan responds directly to the tough financial realities so many of us are living. We’re putting real money back into people’s pockets by way of the largest tax cut proposal in state history, at $3.8 billion. That includes a one-time property tax refund, ending taxes on tips and overtime, lowering childcare costs, cutting car tab fees, and delivering hundreds of millions of dollars to Minnesota schools at no cost to taxpayers through scholarship granting organizations. We’re also focused on making government actually work for the people. That starts with finally passing a strong Office of Inspector General to crack down on fraud and stop billions of taxpayer dollars from being wasted. And we’re advancing common-sense policies Minnesotans broadly support, such as modernizing county IT systems and expanding safe schools funding so every student can learn in a secure environment. We may take a closer look at particulars of the North Star Comeback in upcoming newsletters. High School Pages |
Great to meet with this week’s class of High School Page Program participants at the Capitol!
Niron Magnetics visit
I thoroughly enjoyed joining Reps. Dave Baker and Spencer Igo during a recent visit to Niron Magnetics, a Minneapolis company that has broken ground on a $600 million manufacturing facility in Sartell. It will employ an estimated 175 workers when it becomes operational in 2027.
Magnets are key components in generators, electric motors and countless sensors across a broad range of products and industries. The problem is magnets typically rely on rare earth elements that pose risks, including geopolitically.
Niron is revolutionizing the industry with the first powerful permanent magnet that is 100-percent free of such minerals, with technology enabled through University of Minnesota research. Since its founding, the company estimates around $400 million in private funds have flowed into this innovation.
Ultimately, Niron Magnetics’ Iron Nitride permanent magnets are part of America’s solution to reduce our nation’s reliance on foreign adversary supply chains and help us regrow a domestic permanent magnet industry.
Thanks to everyone at Niron for sharing fascinating information about this company and its cutting-edge breakthroughs.
Stay tuned for more from the Capitol soon and, until then, please stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Lisa