Friends and neighbors,

This 2025 legislative session is underway, and a lot has already taken place in the Senate!

On Tuesday, Jan. 14, the first day of the 2025 legislative session, the Senate passed several motions and unanimously approved a resolution to establish a power-sharing agreement between Democrats and Republicans. This agreement will guide the operations of the Senate, which is currently divided with a 33-33 tie. The changes notably bring equal membership from Democrats and Republicans to each committee, along with co-chairs and co-vice chairs from each caucus.

As part of the current power-sharing agreement, there is a new Senate Subcommittee on Veterans. I am pleased to see this important issue area now has dedicated committee time. Although other former Republican Military Veterans were assigned to this Vets Subcommittee, due to scheduling conflicts, I have been selected to serve as the Republican chair.

In addition, I will be a member of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee and the Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee.

Additional key items in the Senate power-sharing agreement include:

• Each caucus leader will appoint a co-presiding officer.
• A permanent increase in Republican committee membership after the power-sharing agreement ends.
• No changes to Senate rules through 2025.
• The agreement is in place until there are 34 votes to end it.

In stark contrast, on the first day of the legislative session, the Minnesota House of Representatives saw a breakdown in cooperation. With a slim 67-66 Republican majority, Democrats refused to show up to work, choosing instead to block Republican-led efforts to move forward with the people’s business.

It’s time to put an end to political games and come together to tackle the issues that matter most to Minnesotans. We need to put Minnesotans first.

Stay tuned for more updates as the session progresses!

Senator Anderson presented with NFIB’s Guardian of Small Business Award

I am honored to have received the prestigious Guardian of Small Business Award from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Minnesota’s leading organization for small businesses. This award recognizes lawmakers who consistently support Main Street on critical issues that impact small business owners.

To qualify for this recognition, lawmakers must align with small business priorities 80% or more of the time during legislative sessions. I am grateful to be among those who achieved a perfect score of 100% on the NFIB Minnesota Voting Record for 2023-24.

During this legislative session, I supported efforts to simplify and create a fairer tax code for small businesses, opposed costly unfunded mandates, and advocated for practical solutions that ease the burden on Main Street.

Moving forward, I will continue to champion the needs of small businesses and work towards solutions that strengthen our economy and help entrepreneurs thrive in Minnesota.

Contact Me

I want to hear from you, my constituents, on issues that are important to you. Please feel free to reach out to my office with any concerns or ideas you may have. You can contact my office at Sen.Bruce.Anderson@mnsenate.gov or 651-296-5981.

Sincerely,

Bruce Anderson