Rep. Altendorf Legislative Update

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WHAT'S NEW?

Today is committee deadline day in the Minnesota Legislature. This means if a bill has not moved forward in a legislative committee by the end of the day, it is likely stalled for the remainder of session.

The legislature’s Easter/Passover break also begins at the end of the day. Lawmakers will return to St. Paul on April 7 and enter the home stretch of our legislative session.

LEGISLATION HIGHLIGHTS

As you are aware, Minnesota’s current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) setup allows for program abuse and lacks proper oversight. Minnesota’s SNAP payment error rate has more than doubled, from 4.1% (2013) to 9% (2024), resulting in about $77 million annually in improper payments. Safeguards in this program are desperately needed.

A pair of SNAP reform bills that would have benefitted Minnesota in numerous ways were debated in the House Children and Families Finance Committee this week. The first was my “Stop Welfare for the Wealthy” Act, which tightens SNAP eligibility by closing a loophole that currently allows individuals with significant financial assets to qualify for benefits.

I was joined by Minnesota millionaire Rob Undersander, who tested the SNAP system and was able to collect thousands of dollars in SNAP benefits over more than a year, which he donated to charity, to draw attention to the issue. Learn more about his story here, and watch his testimony here.

Matt Schmid from America First Policy Institute and social worker Cally Proctor also testified in favor of my proposal.

The second bill would ban chips, candy and pop from being purchased using SNAP benefits. This is part of an incentive package being offered by the federal government. 20% of kids are obese, which inevitably leads to problems like diabetes and heart disease. By approving this language and limiting SNAP benefits to healthy foods, the federal government would send Minnesota another $200 million.

Further, by getting Minnesota’s error rate down to 6% or lower, the federal government will continue to fully pay the costs of the SNAP program – totaling $850 million. If Minnesota refuses to take action, it will begin paying $87 million each year.

I see nothing wrong with the federal government wanting us to be good stewards over tax dollars, asking Minnesota to add checks and balances to a program that has been ripped off. Why not accept a bill that improve kids’ health and get another $200 million from the federal government?

Instead, Governor Walz, the nation’s Trump Derangement Syndrome posterchild, has already put out a supplemental budget that recognizes Minnesota will lose $87 million due to its refusal to reform SNAP.

No one wants to see people go hungry. But we also want to ensure money that should be going to a need family actually gets to them.

Sadly, the bills died on a tied vote. Every House Republican on the committee voted to protect SNAP integrity and make sure that resources go to those who need them most, and every House Democrat voted against doing that.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WANTS ANSWERS ON NON-CITIZENS ON STATE VOTER ROLLS

CBS News is reporting the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office has received a grand jury subpoena ordering it to turn over certain individual voter records, as part of a federal investigation into whether non-citizens are registered or have unlawfully cast ballots.

As someone who found nearly 8,000 challenged voters in Hennepin County alone, I welcome the inquiry.

Read more about it here and here.

DEMOCRATS BLOCK BILL THAT WOULD LOWER YOUR CAR TAB FEES

Have you received your renewal notice in the mail for your vehicle tabs lately? If you drive a new or reasonably new car or truck, you are likely suffering from sticker shock. It’s nothing to see tabs cost anywhere from $800 - $1200 on a newer vehicle these days, the result of another Democrat tax increase hitting your pocketbook.

In 2023, Governor Walz and a Democrat-led legislature changed the vehicle tab fee formula and effectively raised rates by 20%. Minnesota has much more expensive tab fees compared to its neighbors. In fact, while you might be paying $800 for your 3-year-old car, a driver of a similar car in Hager City, Wisconsin is paying $85.

Recently, State Representative Patti Anderson held a press conference on her bill that would return car tab fees in Minnesota to pre-2023 levels. Click here for more.

Her bill was debated this week by the Minnesota House Transportation Policy and Finance Committee. It would have amounted to nearly $1 billion in tax relief for Minnesota’s drivers. Instead, it was another common sense bill that died on a tie vote, with all Republicans voting in favor of lowering vehicle tab costs, while all Democrats voted against it.

BILLIONS OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS GOING OVERSEAS IN SUITCASES

This week, our fraud committee held a hearing about why hundreds of millions of dollars in cash leaves through the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport every year. This problem has been around since the year 2000, as you can see in this StarTribune headline.

For 26 years, Minnesota has done nothing, and taxpayers have watched as billions of dollars have been loaded into suitcases and taken to foreign countries. $350 million went through suitcases at MSP last year alone, and that total is likely low.

Then when you realize the Department of Human Services has been turning on and off safeguards, it will make you angrier. Click here to learn more.

In short, Minnesota is an outlier in fraud, and an outlier for having cash leaving our airport in suitcases. It’s not a coincidence. Click here for more of my thoughts.

DRIVING LIMITATIONS ON COLLECTOR CARS?

From the state representative who talked of quintupling your car tab fees comes this gem for owners of collector cars. If you have a collector plate on your car, she wants to limit the amount of time you can drive it to only daylight hours on the weekends.

From guns to cars and everywhere in between, Democrats want to restrict your rights. Or - and this is more likely it - they want you to put regular plates on your collector car so you’ll pay more to drive it (and in her world, five times more).

LOCAL VISITS

This week, it was rewarding to have a committee hearing with Lake City Administrator Robert Keehn and Lake City’s Port Authority Executive Director Doug Grout to discuss a simple fix that is needed in current Port Authority statute.

Constituents from Great River Homes also met with Representative Jacob and me this week. I always look forward to their yearly visit!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER - YOUTUBE - RUMBLE

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PLEASE CONTACT ME

It’s an honor and privilege to work for you at the Capitol. Don’t hesitate to contact my office at any time this session to share your thoughts, concerns or ideas. I am here to serve you!