The Senate heard two extreme bills this week that undermine our laws and do nothing to help law-abiding Minnesotans. One bill allows felons to vote before completing their probation, and the other bill gives illegal immigrants access to standard driver’s licenses. Democrats forced through these bills, once again refusing to accept any amendments on the floor. Their actions have sent a message to Minnesota that they are uninterested in providing tax relief that serves law-abiding citizens, and would rather spend their time expanding the rights of those who break our laws.

These bills make Democrat public safety priorities clear—it is more important to allow felons to vote than it is to focus on crime prevention. Many folks are sympathetic to the topic of restoring the vote, but only after time has been served and dues have been paid. Minnesota is a historically low-incarceration state, and oftentimes probation periods are longer to make up for shorter incarceration timelines. The bill Democrats pushed through will allow convicted felons to have access to voting before they’ve completed their sentences. This denies justice to victims of crime and undermines the integrity of our voting system. The focus should instead be crime prevention, instead of allowing felons to vote.

The second bill of the day followed a similar theme. The Democrats’ “Driver’s License for All” legislation provides an all-access pass to immigrants who are illegally in our state, by giving them access to a standard driver’s license that has no marking denoting that it is just for driving. We all understand the need for safe roads, but this bill goes so far beyond addressing that. It undermines state, federal, and election security. This license looks exactly like the ones legal citizens are given—it could be used to board a plane, get state benefits, register to vote, and so much more. It is the most common way to confirm identity. However, the illegal immigrants getting these ID’s will not even have to provide proof of Minnesota residence. Amendments offered by Republicans included denoting the license is for driving privileges only and cannot be used for voting or same-day registration, addressing a national security loophole that would allow illegal immigrants access to federal buildings and flights with a Minnesota driver’s license before the REAL ID standards are enforced, ensuring traffic safety, and requiring data sharing for the purposes of helping victims of crime. Every single amendment was struck down on party-line votes.

With both bills, Democrats unsurprisingly voted down every single amendment Republicans brought forward. Instead of addressing tax relief that law-abiding citizens have been asking for, they are instead expanding rights for those who knowingly break our laws. Despite how bad these bills are, Republicans wanted to at least make them workable, but Democrats had no interest in giving us that ability. They have once again silenced the voices of greater Minnesota by refusing to engage in bipartisan discussion. This is not how our government is supposed to work, and Minnesotans expect better.