Friends and neighbors, 

This week marked the start of the 2024 legislative session, and it is an honor to be back in St. Paul serving as the voice of the great folks of District 29.

Throughout the interim, as I have met with members of our community, I have heard how concerned constituents are with what happened last year at the Capitol. The 2023 session saw members in the majority spend the entirety of the record $18 billion surplus, but this still wasn’t enough. They also grew government by an unprecedented 40% and passed nearly $10 billion in tax hikes. As a result of their runaway spending spree, our state is now facing a projected $2.3 billion deficit beginning in 2025.

That is why I believe this session must be focused on fiscal responsibility. It’s critical to rein in out-of-control spending and stop the majority from raising more taxes. Minnesota families’ budgets are struggling after years of inflation, and they cannot afford any more hits.

Another issue I have heard from many constituents on is our new state flag and seal. They shared how they feel like it is not reflective of Minnesotans, as the process for adopting the new flag and seal lacked opportunities for public engagement. Further, local agencies have expressed concern about the costs associated with adopting the new state flag and seal. 

In a letter I recently received from the Wright County Board of Commissioners, they highlighted how all state offices and departments with the old state sale are required to have it removed by Jan. 1, 2025. They have yet to be informed if local governments are under the same timeline. But if counties do fall under the same requirement, Wright County believes it will cost taxpayers around $150,000 or more. The last thing local communities need is another unfunded expense from the state, and I will continue to push back against big government.

Additionally, last session saw the passage of a massive education bill, which contained many costly and burdensome unfunded mandates that simply do not help our student outcomes. I recently attended a Rockford Area Schools work session, where we discussed some of these mandates.

At the meeting, Superintendent Ridlehoover highlighted concerns about the financial and practical challenges of new mandates from the 2023 session, stating they may negate the benefits of additional education funding. Issues raised included inefficiencies in the free lunch program, teacher shortages impacting the Read Act’s implementation, restrictive mandates on School Resource Officers, and pension and unemployment benefit concerns, all of which contribute to the school’s operational and financial strains.

We need to repair the damage done to our schools by making education choices that put our students first and get our parents more involved.

Additionally, this session serves as a bonding year, which means an item on our agenda is to pass a bonding bill to find local public infrastructure projects. During the 2023 session, we approved $2.5 billion worth of bonding projects, and a good number of which are still getting underway. Therefore, I believe this year’s bonding bill must be more modest and focused on the core needs of our communities, such as updating wastewater treatment facilities and improving our roads and bridges.

As session progresses, I will continue to share updates on these topics along with other key issues being discussed in St. Paul.

Please feel free to reach out to my office with any concerns or ideas you may have., I will keep your thoughts and concerns in mind as legislation comes before me. You can contact my office at sen.bruce.anderson@mnsenate.gov or 651-296-5981.

Sincerely,

Bruce Anderson