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Dear friends and neighbors,
I hope you have been enjoying our recent jump in temperatures, it has been much more comfortable here in St. Paul and across the state. I have much to catch you up on, especially since we heard back about an important Supreme Court ruling on Friday afternoon.
In Memory of Chris
First, thank you all for your support and kind words following the tragic loss of my cousin, Chris. My family is working through the grieving process & navigating our next steps. However, I am very grateful to be able to honor him and share our memories with you all. Your kind words of condolence, support and prayers are greatly appreciated.
Democrat Shutdown
As I briefly mentioned, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday afternoon that quorum in the House is 68 members, meaning that we need 68 members present to conduct any official business. This was disappointing to hear because it meant we had to stop bill hearings, committee meetings, and floor sessions. However, I am still here at work doing what I can; meeting with constituents, researching & deep-diving into budgets. Since the Republicans have 67 members, we cannot do anything official on our own and the Democrats are still refusing to show up for work. It has been 3 weeks without them here and we are at a standstill. If one Democrat shows up to work on Monday, we will be able to organize and begin the important legislative work we were sent here to do. As I have said over and over again, this boycott by the House Democrats is not acceptable and is to the detriment of the entire state.
So What Can We Do?
I have heard similar frustrations from many of you and I want to address some common concerns. We have been doing everything in our power to call them out and convince them to do the right thing by showing up for work. Every day this week, the Secretary of State, Steve Simon, has gaveled us in but refused to recognize our Constitutionally allowed motion to compel the attendance of absent Democrats. Our motion states that those members who fail to appear would forgo their salaries and per diem. The MN Constitution states that a number smaller than a quorum may “compel the attendance of absent members in the manner and under the penalties it may provide.” The Secretary of State has blocked this motion every single day. His lack of following this constitutional right has led us to file a lawsuit against him yesterday. As legislators, we are calling out our DFL counterparts in the media, trying to convince them to come to the table. A more important voice, though, is you. I encourage you to reach out to a Democrat representative to demand that they do the job they were elected to do. Call or email the Governor’s office and demand that he do everything in his power to encourage his party to show up to do the work for the people of our state. Adding insult to injury, every day that this dereliction of duty continues costs YOU, the taxpayer close to $10,000 in their salaries!
Bill Highlights
We were scheduled to have several bill hearings this week, focused around our goals of eliminating fraud, improving public safety, and making Minnesota more affordable. Since we cannot organize with 67 members, these hearings won't be happening. However, I want to share with you some bills that I have been working on and am excited to introduce when the Democrats show up for work:
1. Property Tax Exclusions for Disabled Veterans. I also carried this bill last session where we were so close to passing this provision only to have it pulled out in a Conference Committee in the final days of session. I will re-introduce it this session as soon as the House is organized.
2. Removing Illegal Immigrants from MN Care. There is no reason that this taxpayer funded program should be available to illegal immigrants in Minnesota. This bill would keep MN Care available for legal residents only, meaning that these tax dollars would only be spent on Minnesotans. There is no federal funding when this benefit is provided to illegal immigrants meaning that this is 100% paid for with YOUR taxpayer dollars.
Aside from working on legislation, we are continuing to stay busy by holding informational hearings, meetings with constituents, and press conferences. Our message remains the same: Democrats need to show up for work so that we can do the things that voters have elected us to do. I am grateful for your support and I look forward to being able to continue to work for you this session.
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