Legislative Update  Dear Friends and Neighbors, After a rocky start to the session — with House Democrats skipping the first 23 days — we finally came together this week to pass Minnesota’s two-year budget during a special session on Monday. It wasn’t easy, but I’m incredibly proud that House Republicans stood strong every step of the way to protect hardworking families like yours. You deserve leaders who show up, fight for your priorities, and never back down — and that’s exactly what we did! We blocked every tax hike Democrats tried to sneak in—including a massive $8 billion fifth-tier income tax hitting anyone making over $500,000, a $400 million sales tax increase, and expanding sales taxes to professional services. Minnesotans are already paying too much, and I refused to let government take even more from your paycheck. We also ended taxpayer-funded health care for adult illegal immigrants, which had caused enrollment and costs to soar in just five months. Your tax dollars should go to those who truly need them—not to wasteful programs without accountability. But I wish we could have done more to relieve the crushing unfunded mandates on our counties, schools, and nursing homes. For example, last biennium, Democrats expanded unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to seasonal school employees, fully aware this would strain school district budgets. Their plan was to cover costs temporarily with state dollars, then leave districts holding the bag — almost certainly forcing property tax hikes in many communities. While Democrats claim this helps seasonal workers, the reality is very different: Schools are struggling to fill summer positions because regular-year staff decline the work and collect UI instead. Districts face higher costs and new administrative burdens just to process these claims. The only group benefiting seems to be the union. School boards and superintendents are raising serious concerns. Paid Family and Medical Leave is another heavy burden. Two years ago, Democrats and Gov. Walz imposed a $3 billion+ one-size-fits-all Paid Family and Medical Leave mandate hitting every business, nonprofit, city, county, and school district in the state. With budgets already stretched thin, this mandate will deepen financial strain across the board. This payroll tax affects both employers and employees, often resulting in lower wages. The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce says 80% of members already provide paid family leave; this government program threatens to reduce benefits for many workers. It will create hundreds of millions in start-up costs, hundreds of new government jobs, and a costly new IT system—like the struggles we’ve seen with MNLARS or MNsure. And recently, DEED announced the payroll tax will be 25% higher than originally planned — about $350 million more. There’s still work ahead, but thanks to an evenly split House and tough negotiations, we’ve delivered the largest government spending cut in state history—$2 billion less—and overall $5 billion less than the previous budget. That’s real progress toward a government that lives within its means and respects your hard work. I promise to keep fighting tooth and nail to protect your wallet, defend rural communities, and stop wasteful spending. Thank you for trusting me to serve you. Please reach out anytime—I’m here to listen and help. Together, we’ll keep Minnesota strong and thriving without letting government weigh families down. Sincerely,  Representative Jim Joy Minnesota House of Representatives, District 4B |