The Importance of Putting Minnesotans First
By Senator Paul Utke

We are in February and nearly one month into Session. Due to the historic power-sharing agreement that was in place until recently, bills have been moving in the Senate and work has been getting done. Unfortunately, moments after the new Democrat Senator for SD60 was sworn in, Democrats promptly voted to eliminate the agreement, despite the fact that their caucus leader, Sen. Erin Murphy, claimed that she hoped this agreement would last throughout session.

We knew this was coming, but it was still disappointing to see Democrats so quickly returning to their definition of the “status quo,” after their leader said otherwise. After the way session ended last year, during which Democrats ignored the voices of 49% of the state, the power-sharing agreement felt like a good step forward. It allowed Republicans to hear numerous bills that Democrats ignored – ways to address burdensome education mandates, discussions about nuclear energy, solutions to fraud, and more. I was disappointed to see it end as quickly as it started. Even though the agreement ended, Republicans will continue to advocate for policies that put Minnesotans first.

In keeping with that theme, one of the top things we need to focus on is helping Minnesotans with the high cost of living. Folks have had their budgets crippled by inflation; and though things may improve at the federal level, we still have quite a way to go here in Minnesota, where Democrats have repeatedly passed costs on to taxpayers. That has to stop.

Another thing we have to do is rein in government spending and get ahold of the fraud that has run rampant in our state for far too long. Our government has seen unsustainable growth under Democrat leadership – growing by nearly 40%. Folks haven’t seen that growth in their budgets, so why should the government? This out-of-control growth and spending has made Minnesota unaffordable, and it has primed our state and its agencies for fraud. Minnesotans are tired of this waste, and we have to address it now.

We also want to keep our communities safe. Much of the legislation that has been passed over the last two years was soft on crime and focused heavily on giving criminals lighter sentences. Minnesotans have been loud and clear: they want criminals off of our streets and out of our communities. We also need to get back to supporting our law enforcement officers. That means supporting recruitment and retention efforts and investing in proven crime prevention strategies.

Finally, we have to tackle the education mandates. Over the last few weeks, schools from across the state have come to testify in our Education committees and they have all been saying the same thing – unfunded mandates are crippling their budgets. Many schools are being forced to make cuts because they simply can’t afford to prop up the burdensome mandates. These schools and their staff know our students better than the state does. We also need to empower local input and control when it comes to education policies and curriculum. We need to reverse course immediately so we can set our kids up for success, and that means eliminating the mandates that fail to put students first.

As we move forward, we can’t lose sight of what matters, and that’s putting Minnesotans first in everything we do. If Sen. Murphy was serious about her desire for bipartisanship to play a role this session, I hope Democrats start taking our concerns seriously. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and not a lot of time. We need to do everything in our power to listen to folks across the state so we can put Minnesotans First.