Get it first in the Mesabi Tribune
Farnsworth offers preview of next session, review of new laws
With fall officially in season the summer has flown by; the end of last legislative session is now farther away than the start of the next one. I wanted to highlight some of the new laws that are going into effect and give an early preview of what next session may bring.
Education: We were able to reinstate Student Resource Officers this year, and I hope your kids have had a great experience getting back to school with a safety officer in the building.
We increased education funding in 2023, however, the mandates forced on schools have led many to make budget cuts for the first time in many years, including most of the schools in my senate district. We started this session with one message from schools: slow down. They needed time to catch up to the new mandates and manage funds.
However, it continues to worry me that while we keep spending more money, there are fewer dollars focused on the classroom and test scores show our kids are still struggling to meet grade-level expectations. For example, the READ act requires science-based learning for reading skills, which is a good thing. But it was woefully underfunded and required more money almost immediately. Put simply, more mandates and misspending are not getting kids back on track. We need to listen to our school leaders to understand how we can put student achievement first and prepare our kids for their future.
Spending, Taxes, and Fees: Unfortunately, nearly all of the $18 billion surplus is gone and most of it went to new spending. Tax relief was targeted to small groups of people based on specific circumstances. However, tax increases like vehicle registration, gas taxes, and payroll taxes are all going up across the board. Sadly, almost $1 billion went out the door to fund politically aligned non-profits located in the metro. It’s frustrating to see Greater Minnesota and hard-working middle-class families mostly ignored by the metropolitan leadership in the legislature.
Emergency Medical Services: There was bipartisan agreement to pass $24 million in one-time funding for EMS providers that was modeled after an EMS bill that I co-authored. The applications are currently in the process of being certified and funds will be sent out to qualifying providers this December. In January, a new Office of Emergency Management is formed to help address the bigger issues impacting EMS providers.
Next session, I hope the bipartisan work on this issue continues. One-time funding isn’t a solution to the long-term problems our EMS providers are facing. We need to address service areas and staffing shortages to ensure every Minnesotan has a reliable EMS response no matter where they live, work, or vacation.
Mining: The news of a potentially massive amount of helium on the Iron Range quickly led to a set of regulations and a tax rate on this discovery. Helium is among the most stable elements with uses from party ballons to MRI machines. It’s certainly an interesting find and I’m excited to see how this helium deposit could create more jobs and opportunities for the Range. This is in addition to the world-class, rare-earth metals we already have under our feet. The Northland has an abundance of the minerals, and now gas, we need for a modern economy. What we need is the political will to move these projects forward in order to become a national leader in mining and extraction.
Lawsuits: At the end of session, I said I was concerned about the constitutionality of the monster omnibus bill. We already have one lawsuit challenging the bill and I would not be surprised if there are more. The way we ended session might not seem like a big deal, but this unconstitutional omnibus bill is the result of a lack of compromise and bipartisanship. Lawsuit or not, I think we all want to see our elected officials prioritize working together more often.
Jan 14th, 2025: That’s when the next session starts. The biggest project will be the state’s two-year budget. We will get a forecast in December as a starting point, but we certainly can’t repeat the spending spree of last budget. Spending the entire $18 billion surplus along with raising $10 billion in new taxes and fees on working Minnesotans was astounding. Even with inflation cooling, recent reports show that on average, Minnesotans’ paychecks are about $5,900 less than before the pandemic, so the squeeze of inflation hurts even more. Our budget needs to recognize that working families don’t need more spending on programs, they need tax relief that impacts their paychecks immediately.