Legislative UpdateDear Neighbor, The past month at the legislature has been a whirlwind of activity. Coming off our Easter break, we find ourselves at a place where legislative final deadlines loom large - and we’re in “crunch time” if any bills are to pass. It’s important to understand that any fixes to bills from previous legislative sessions need to meet these deadlines to have a shot before we conclude in May. I wanted to outline what has come up on the floor and the outcome of those bills as an effort to show the difficulty we find ourselves in when trying to get meaningful items passed: - House File 16 – My bill to create a framework requiring local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement in cases involving suspects of violent crime failed, with all Republicans voting for it and all Democrats against it.
 Presenting HF16 on the House Floor - House File 3127 – This bill would have extended a “Pass-Through Tax Credit,” which would have helped alleviate the tax burden of our small businesses. All present Republicans voted for it, and all present Democrats voted against it.
- House File 4487 – This bill would’ve provided one-time property tax relief for Minnesotans. We continue to have several expensive mandates that our counties must administer. This is creating pressure on our counties, which increases property taxes. You’ve probably seen a remarkable increase in your own property tax bill; this legislation would’ve provided some temporary relief. All present Republicans voted for it, and all present Democrats voted against it.
- House File 3562 – This bill would’ve fixed our car tab fee situation in Minnesota. Currently, our car tab fees are among the highest in the entire country. This legislation would lower the fees significantly. All present Republicans voted for it, and all present Democrats voted against it.
- House File 1434 – This bill would’ve required age verification for websites that produce harmful pornographic material. It’s straightforward, but this legislation would have added some guardrails for children’s access to this material. All present Republicans voted for it, and all present Democrats voted against it.
- House File 3493 – This bill would’ve increased school safety grants for all schools in Minnesota. After the Annunciation tragedy, this was a comprehensive response to ensure all schools receive appropriate and localized tools to ensure student safety. Again, all present Republicans voted for it, and all present Democrats voted against it.
There are many more bills that were debated and failed along these partisan lines. This is not to play a “blame game,” but to outline how difficult it is to get things moving in a divided legislature. In my first term, I’ve been surprised by the number of bills that are deemed “controversial” but feel like common sense. We have a few weeks to get some of this important legislation through, and I’ll continue to update you about their progress. Over the past two weeks, I’ve been working on some pieces of legislation that may appear small but are important to Minnesota. First, I introduced a bill that would end ideological discrimination in hiring or acceptance at our public universities. This ensures that our public institutions can’t explicitly deny someone opportunities because of their political or religious beliefs.  Rymer presenting House File 3101 in the Higher Education Committee I also introduced a bill to verify foreign remittance payments leaving the country. On the heels of our fraud scandals in Minnesota, we need to ensure money isn’t leaving the country through fraudulent means. My hope is that this bill receives appropriate hearings and works its way through the legislative process. We need to do all we can to get our fraud situation under control. Lastly, I’m having bills heard this week to establish psilocybin therapy for veterans. I’ve spoken to a number of individuals suffering from PTSD, and this bill would allow another tool in the toolbelt for treatment - one that is hopefully less addictive than typical opiates. This initiative seems to have bipartisan support, and I’m thankful that we have a strong Senate partner for this bill in Senator Mark Koran. One other note: there are numerous local projects I’m working on should we have the ability to pass a localized construction/bonding bill this session - namely, sewer line repairs in Taylors Falls, public safety funding for Wyoming, and infrastructure funding for North Branch. One of the greatest honors I have as your representative is advocating for our community. I want to make sure our corner of Minnesota is prioritized in a broader state discussion. Chisago County is growing, and our infrastructure needs are growing with it. The more I can advocate for our district, the less local taxpayers bear the burden of those needs. I was also honored to meet with numerous local constituents over the past few weeks advocating for the issues they care about. This is the best part of the job!  Nancy and Stephanie paid me a visit from Chisago County HRA-EDA to talk about the housing needs in our district.  I also got to visit with Molly and Jeremy to discuss the challenges of healthcare affordability for teachers in our area. This is a major concern no matter what type of work you do, and I’m doing everything in my power to help make health insurance more affordable in the Commerce Committee.  Local advocates from the Minnesota Social Service Association (MSSA) also met with me to discuss the importance of maintaining contracted social services for our community in Chisago County. These folks are on the frontlines of caring for our most vulnerable. In a time where the governor is trying to balance the budget on the backs of these services and special education funding, I’ll continue to fight for support for people who truly need it. Thank you for taking the time to read this update if you’ve made it this far! I’ll continue to represent Chisago County and our values down in St. Paul. If you ever have questions for me, don’t hesitate to reach out or come pay me a visit at the Capitol! |