Legislative UpdateDear Neighbor, Session is back in full swing. Floor debates, long committee sessions, and a myriad of bill ideas are being bandied about. I must tell you, in the first two weeks the debate has been intense. Coming off an interim period marred by Melissa Hortman’s assassination, the Annunciation school shooting, unrest, and numerous fraud scandals, the debates have been intense. and necessary, as Session begins. Being evenly split in the House, it’s hard to see a path forward on numerous issues. But we will continue to work and find solutions, even if small, on making Minnesota more affordable, hardening our schools to prevent those who would harm our children, catching and combatting the massive fraud our state has experienced, and fighting to lower taxes. I’ll continue to fight for the taxpayer in Chisago County.  One of the issues I continue to be focused on are mandates in Minnesota. What do I mean by that? Well, two years ago when the DFL had full control of the House, Senate, and Governorship, there were numerous requirements passed down to our counties, municipalities, and small businesses. I did a video on how these mandates impact your property taxes. But our small businesses are facing similar challenges, with mandates such as Paid Family and Medical Leave and Earned Sick and Safe Time off. Those laws just went into effect in January and my fear is, without major reform, we’re going to lose main street businesses in our county who can’t afford them. For the next several weeks, I’m going to be focused on making our state more affordable. In the midst of all that’s happening in St. Paul, one of the great bright spots for me is meeting local leaders and constituents. Despite some of the safety changes (metal detectors and bag checks), I’d love to have you come down to the Capitol and hear about what matters to you. This past week, I met with students at the River of Life Homeschool Co-Op in Lindstrom. It was a great opportunity to talk about what happens at the Capitol and how young people can be engaged in the civic process.  I also got a chance to talk with the team at Franconia Sculpture Park about art initiatives and everything they’ve been working on. They’re doing quite a bit to put on great programming and projects for our Chisago County community. Luke from Bruce’s Foods in Wyoming also came down to the Capitol this week. I was able to learn a bit more about the challenges our independent grocers face, and how what we do in St. Paul impacts these community staples. Margins for our small businesses are tight and we must continue to work on making life more affordable for them and everyone in our community.  Like last year, I also met with the team at East Central Regional Library at the Capitol. This team is also dedicated to serving Chisago County (and beyond).  On top of that, I met with advocates looking to make sure our schools are prioritized the same as metro schools when it comes to funding, administrators from Lakes International Language Academy about the specific challenges our charter schools face, and students from across our community who are focused on technical vocations when they graduate. If I’m heartened by anything this session, it’s how engaged our community is. |