Friends —
Extreme abortion bills in the Senate
On Friday, January 27, Senate Democrats passed the first in a series of extreme abortion bills. It is called the PRO Act, or “Protect Reproductive Options.” They claim it is putting Roe v. Wade in state statute, but it is much, much worse.
It legalizes abortion up to the moment of birth. There are no protections for children or mothers. It allows the sterilization of teenagers. It is absolutely insane and absolutely extreme. This is not what Minnesota signed up for; we should be doing everything we can to protect life.
Gov Walz’s outrageous budget
On Tuesday Gov. Walz released the details of his budget proposal. His budget would be the biggest we have ever had by a large margin. He spends the entirety of the state’s record $17.6 billion surplus, increases spending by $25%, and even raises taxes by more than $2 billion.
There’s no elimination of the Social Security benefits tax. He legalizes recreational pot. He repeals laws that protect women like Woman’s Right to Know and Positive Alternatives. He even raises license tab fees.
His budget spends way too much, raises taxes, and does not return enough of the surplus to Minnesotans. It’s a non-starter for me.
Should we legalize recreational pot?
I sit on the Senate’s Judiciary and Public Safety Committee. This week we heard a bill that would legalize and regulate recreational marijuana. You can read the entire 300+ page bill at this link.
I want to hear from you about this. It is a complicated issue, and the more feedback I can get from the district, the better. Please reply to this email and let me know where you stand!
ASV plans big expansion in Grand Rapids
Great news for the Grand Rapids area: ASV is planning a massive expansion of its existing plant here. The expansion will be about 32,000 square feet and they expect to hire as many as 200 new workers.
Read the story here: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/business/grand-rapids-manufacturer-plans-to-expand-hire-100-200-workers
Anti-mining bills hit the Senate
With Democrats in control of the House, Senate, and Governor’s office, the fate of mining and northern Minnesota economies was put in real jeopardy. Already we have seen a couple of horrible anti-mining bills introduced in the Senate.
The Mesabi Tribune had a great write-up. These bills could set the Iron Range back decades. These anti-mining bills serve as a reminder of who Democrats really are and what they believe; they don’t like mining plain and simple. These anti-mining bills would kill jobs and devastate the economy up here; they cannot see the light of day.