Hello from St. Paul,
We have reached the end of the 2025 legislative session. And thanks to the decision by House Democrats to boycott the State Capitol for 23 days, we are now being forced into a special session to finish the state’s budget work that must be completed before July 1.
The governor and legislative leaders found consensus on a budget framework late last week. Unlike last session when Democrats raised taxes by $10 billion (and blew through an $18 billion budget surplus), Minnesota families will not see a tax increase at the state level this session.
A number of budget-related conference committee reports were approved last weekend by both the House and Senate and sent to Governor Walz for his signature. They included public safety, veterans and agriculture. The ag legislation included my cottage food reform initiative which is my first bill that will be signed into law!
But several others were not completed on time, such as education and health, and they will now have to be written, debated, and approved during a special session. At this time, it’s unknown when Governor Walz will schedule it.
I will keep you posted on any future developments.
In liberty,
Drew