Friends, The 2026 legislative session came to an end over the weekend. It was a long session with plenty of debate, and a lot moved in the final days. I wanted to give you a quick recap of some of the bigger items that came out of it and what they mean for Minnesotans. At the beginning of session, House Republicans had some clear priorities. We wanted to fight fraud, deliver tax relief, lower costs for families, help counties dealing with mandates from St. Paul, modernize outdated government systems, restore accountability, and make sure every student in every school has a safe place to learn. With a divided Legislature, you’re not going to get everything you want. But we did get some major work done. One of the biggest pieces was roughly $400 million in tax relief for Minnesotans. That includes $125 million in property tax relief, $250 million in car tab fee reductions, and ending the Minneapolis ballpark tax. That’s important. Families, farmers, small businesses, and seniors are all feeling the pressure of higher costs. Counties are also being asked to do more with mandates coming down from the state. When we can provide some relief and leave more money with the people who earned it, we should. I was also glad to secure $4 million for water and sewer improvements in St. Francis through this year’s capital investment bill. That kind of project might not be flashy, but it matters. Water and sewer infrastructure is expensive, and without state support, those costs can fall hard on local taxpayers and ratepayers. This funding helps move an important local project forward and supports the basic infrastructure families and businesses count on every day. School safety was another major focus. House Republicans came into session pushing for more funding and more options to protect every student in every school, whether they attend a public, nonpublic, or Tribal school. The final agreement included funding for optional anonymous threat reporting systems, school-linked behavioral health grants, mobile crisis grants, and anti-grooming protections to help protect students from predatory behavior. It also included $10 million in compensatory revenue funding to help schools hit hardest by the 2023 formula change. We also made progress on IT modernization, which is something I heard about directly from counties. Some counties are still working with systems from the 1980s and 1990s. That creates problems for staff, slows down service, and makes it harder to run programs efficiently. Updating these systems is one of those behind-the-scenes things that makes government work better. Fraud was another major focus this session, and it needed to be. Minnesotans have seen too many stories about taxpayer dollars being stolen, misused, or sent out without enough oversight. People are right to be frustrated. This year, we passed the new Office of Inspector General, which the Governor has already signed into law. That gives Minnesota an independent office responsible for investigating fraud and helping hold state government accountable. We also passed Republican-led reforms to extend the statute of limitations for theft of public funds from 6 years to 10 years, put a 100% tax on money gained through fraud so the state has another way to recover stolen taxpayer dollars, strengthen grant oversight, and require work requirements for certain Medicaid recipients. These are foundational steps, and they’re tools we should’ve had in place long ago. There’s still more work to do. We need to keep pushing on affordability, keep helping counties and local governments that are dealing with state mandates, make further improvements to school safety, and keep tightening up oversight wherever taxpayer dollars are involved. But as we wrap up session, there are some good things to report. We delivered tax relief, secured an important local infrastructure project, made progress on school safety and fraud, invested in IT modernization, and moved the state in a better direction on accountability. As we head into summer, I’m looking forward to being back in the district, getting to local events, and visiting with folks around our communities. I really appreciate these conversations and always keep them front and center when working on legislation or deciding on how I’ll vote. As always, thank you for the opportunity to serve our district, it’s been an honor. This summer, please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions, concerns, or ideas on how we can improve our slice of Minnesota. Have a great weekend, Representative Bryan Lawrence House District 27B |