Rep. Altendorf Legislative Update

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Hello from St. Paul,

Week 3 of the 2023 legislative session is now in the books. Here's a review of what happened last week.

WHAT'S NEW? My son John was back from Washington D.C. and in St. Paul on business this week. Lucky me! He's working for Congressman Brad Finstad as an agricultural legislative assistant. He stopped by my office between meetings for a quick lunch.

LEGISLATION HIGHLIGHTS

FIRST RADICAL ABORTION BILL APPROVED IN MINNESOTA HOUSE

The Minnesota House Democrat majority wasted no time in bringing its extreme abortion agenda to the House floor, approving legislation on Thursday would allow abortions up until birth. This was an easy ‘no’ vote for me.

Last week I discussed many of the problems with the Democrats’ abortion proposals. I do want to let residents know House Republicans tried to amend this bill with some common sense provisions. They included: requiring 2^nd and 3^rd trimester abortions to be performed in a hospital; banning the barbaric practice of partial birth abortions; and banning abortions in the 3^rd trimester, with the exceptions of rape, incest, and saving the life of the mother. Democrats voted along party lines against all three.

During the campaign, the Democrats’ message was that abortion was about healthcare for women. Seeing them reject these amendments, we do have to stop and ask ourselves: is this really healthcare?

The bill now heads to the Minnesota Senate for further debate.

CARBON FREE 2040 MANDATE WILL BE COSTLY

A bill being fast tracked in the climate and energy committee would extend and increase Minnesota’s renewable energy standard to 55% by the year 2035 and would establish a carbon-free standard requiring utilities to generate or acquire 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2040.  

All of this may sound great on paper, but when you begin to look at the details, everyone is going to be shocked at how hard it hits them in the pocketbook.

Families are already dealing with skyrocketing energy prices.  A report from the Center of the American Experiment (CAE) estimates that the Walz/Democrat plan to move to 100 percent carbon free electricity by 2040 will cost $313 billion, or nearly $3,900 per family per year.

This legislation doesn’t even take into account that many co-op’s can’t comply with these mandates. In addition, it does nothing to address cost of energy. Remember, costly new mandates and fees on utility companies ultimately means those costs will be passed along to you.

PLEASE CONTACT ME

It’s an honor and privilege to work for you at the Capitol. Don’t hesitate to contact my office at any time this session to share your thoughts, concerns or ideas. I am here to serve you!

255 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
651.296.5091