Friends and neighbors,
We are finishing up week four of the 2025 legislative session. The big news is that House Democrats have ended their boycott and will return to work. An agreement was finalized and announced on Wednesday evening, meaning that the Minnesota House will organize and hold committee hearings soon. We in the Senate look forward to hearing ideas from the other half of Minnesotans at the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, in the Minnesota Senate, we have been meeting and having committee hearings and moving bills through the legislative process. As the temporary Republican chair of Labor and Industry, we recently heard the concerns of many farmers, businesses, schools, and others. They emphasized the issues with the one-size-fits-all policies passed by Democrats in recent years, including the Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) mandate.
To give more flexibility to our small family farms, I authored a bill to exempt farms with five or fewer employees from the ESST mandate. I am pleased to share that this bill received bipartisan support and passed out of committee. Unfortunately, this is just one example of the many fixes still needed. We will see if Democrats will help correct additional problems caused by rushing so many new mandates on Minnesotans.
Additionally, Senator Doran Clark (DFL-Minneapolis) was sworn in on Monday to fill the seat of Kari Dziedzic, breaking the 33-33 tie. Moments later, every Democrat voted in lockstep to end the power-sharing agreement, taking control of all committees that were tied and co-chaired.
The bipartisan approach in the Senate over the past three weeks has proven to be highly effective. Some Democrats also shared this sentiment, with a few members telling me they valued the power-sharing arrangement and hope to see it continue.
Notably, this issue was raised by a Senate Democrat from a district that narrowly leans Democratic. In her speech during session on Monday, she expressed that many constituents in her district feel underrepresented by much of the legislation passed in the last two years. She also stated that she would prioritize voting for the interests of her district rather than simply supporting the extreme Democratic agenda. We all hope this commitment holds true, and we will find out in the coming weeks and months.
Looking ahead, with the full legislature now assembled, the work of getting a two-year balanced budget is the task before us. In recent sessions, the Democrat trifecta went on an out-of-control spending spree with your tax dollars. They raised taxes and fees by nearly $10 billion and grew government by about 40%. With our state facing a $5.1 billion deficit, legislators will need to trim government spending.
This must start with being more careful and responsible with the tax money collected from hard-working Minnesotans. Republicans have spoken out insisting that tax increases are not a solution. Instead, we must reduce spending and become responsible with our state budget like all Minnesotans must do. This starts by tackling the ongoing issues of waste, fraud, and abuse within our state agencies.
Senate Republicans made our session priorities known with the rollout of our “Minnesotans First” agenda. In the coming month, Senate Republicans will introduce legislation dedicated to the following priorities:
- Helping Minnesotans with the high cost of living
- Reining in runaway wasteful spending and stopping tax increases
- Holding government accountable for waste, fraud, and abuse
- Keeping our communities safe
- Putting students first, strengthening families, and protecting children
These priorities will guide our work this year. It is time for state government to focus on what truly matters to Minnesotans.
Sincerely,
Gene