Today Senate Republican Leader Mark Johnson (East Grand Forks) put Minnesotans First with an amendment to reduce the amount of postage available to senators as the state is facing a $5.1 billion deficit. The amendment was passed with strong bipartisan support.

“I want to acknowledge the taxpayers. We are asking a lot of them and with the uncertainty in our state’s budget, the pinch felt by Minnesotan families, communities, and budgets across the state should be reflected in our own chamber with mutual sacrifices,” Sen. Johnson said as he introduced the amendment.

The amendment reduces postage costs by 10% for each senator, lowering it from $1,300 to $1,170. It also reduces the additional postage allocated for caucus leaders by 10%, from $500 to $450, and eliminates $400 in additional postage for committee chairs.

The amendment was adopted and the underlying resolution passed, meaning the Senate will pay about $17,000 less for postage in 2025.

“Senate Republicans are always going to put Minnesotans First,” Johnson said in a statement following the vote. “This might not seem like a big amount of money and we have a lot of work ahead of us, but I’m pleased to see the bipartisan support for this motion. I hope the bipartisanship continues as we look the difficult task of balancing the budget and averting a deficit by putting Minnesotans First with every decision we make,” he concluded.