Dear Neighbor, 

The 2026 legislative session came to a close Sunday evening as we worked right up to the midnight deadline to complete our remaining business. With a narrowly divided Legislature this biennium, every vote mattered. The Senate was held by a single-seat margin and the House was tied 67-67, which meant outcomes depended heavily on negotiation, persistence, and, at times, simply having the votes needed to stop the most extreme proposals. This session was defined greatly by both agreement and disagreement! We agreed on many great opportunities for Minnesotans and lit the entire board green. However, we divided the board many times on a 67-67 tie to prevent the advancement of partisan legislation from becoming law. 

We delivered a package of tax relief, accountability reforms, and targeted investments focused on affordability and government oversight. 

On taxes and cost relief, we passed $125 million in expanded property tax relief for homeowners, a one-time $250 million reduction in vehicle registration fees, elimination of the ballpark tax, and extensions of key business tax provisions to support employers and job growth. These measures were designed to reduce cost pressure on families while maintaining a stable environment for businesses. 

On government accountability, we passed and enacted legislation creating an independent Office of Inspector General with law enforcement authority to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse across state government. We also approved Medicaid eligibility verification reforms, established repayment penalties requiring full recovery of stolen taxpayer funds, and implemented Medicaid work requirements with reasonable exemptions for individuals who are unable to work. In addition, we invested in county IT modernization to improve data systems, reduce errors, and strengthen fraud detection. Although we invested $40M in technology improvements in 2025, this legislation specifically directs resources to our counties.  

We also made targeted investments in core services. This included increased Medical Assistance reimbursement rates for rural and critical access hospitals, new hospital stabilization and uncompensated care funding, expanded mobile crisis response services, and school-linked behavioral health supports. In education, we funded updates to the READ Act implementation, expanded literacy training for educators, and increased funding for higher-need school districts. We also invested in infrastructure projects for roads, bridges, and water systems, school safety improvements including anonymous threat reporting tools, workforce housing initiatives, and a formal study on future nuclear energy development in Minnesota. 

Just as significant were the proposals that did not advance this session. 

We blocked legislation that would have created a new climate-linked tax system that proponents estimated would have increased household costs substantially over time through broad-based emissions pricing mechanisms applied to energy and transportation. 

We also stopped firearm legislation that included proposals to ban commonly owned semi-automatic firearms, restrict magazine capacity to 10 rounds, and impose new penalties tied to firearm configuration and assembly rules. These proposals did not pass and would have represented major changes to Minnesota’s existing firearm laws. 

On transportation costs, we opposed and blocked a proposal to significantly increase annual vehicle registration fees (5 times the current high rates). Instead, the final outcome included a one-time $250 million reduction in those fees. 

On taxes, we prevented the creation of a fifth-tier income tax bracket that would have increased the top marginal rate and placed Minnesota among the highest-income-tax states nationally. We also stopped a proposed statewide wealth tax on net assets above a high threshold, which would have included business equity, farmland, real estate, and investment holdings, and raised concerns for asset-heavy industries with variable annual income such as agriculture and small business ownership. 

Currently, I am planning to host Coffee with Tom at the Owatonna Chamber of Commerce on Friday, June 5th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm.  

Next, I am planning to host Coffee with Tom at the Waseca Chamber of Commerce on Friday, June 19th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm. Note: The Waseca Chamber of Commerce will be closed on June 12th, 2026, so we rescheduled to the following Friday. 

Thank you for your support and feedback, and please reach out if you need assistance in the meantime!