Friends and Neighbors,
Thanks to all the constituents and advocates who have visited me at the Capitol to talk about priorities and concerns. This is my last session, and my goal is to be as accessible and transparent as possible about the work we’re doing here in St. Paul.
Speaking of transparency, I authored a bill to increase financial transparency for candidates and government officials that advanced out of committee. It’s just one step we can take to make sure voters have all the information they need to make an informed decision.
Next week, I have a bill being heard in the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee that prohibits manufacturers from advertising prescription drugs on TV. Many countries already ban this, and it’s time we go in that direction too.
If you want to talk, just contact my office.
Thanks for reading,
Senator Rich Draheim, District 22
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My bill to expand financial transparency for candidates and public officials advances
My bill, SF 3644, would strengthen financial disclosure requirements for public officials (including legislators), judges, and candidates.
Current law requires filing a statement of economic interest that lists assets like real estate and businesses, and securities valued over $10,000. The bill adds a requirement to disclose purchase and sale dates and values of sales or purchases of the disclosed stock and stock options. It also expands the requirement to digital assets like cryptocurrency or nonfungible tokens (NFTs) worth more than $10,000.
Voters deserve to know if a candidate or official has potential conflicts of interest that could influence their decisions. U.S. senators and members of Congress already have to disclose stock purchases and trades. Minnesota leaders should do the same.
Members of Congress are required to publicly disclose financial transactions of securities over $1,000 within 30 to 45 days of a trade. Digital assets are a rapidly growing market, with an estimated total value of nearly $3.5 trillion. As a new asset class still in the early stages of regulation, the market’s influence continues to expand, creating potential conflicts of interest that may fall outside the scrutiny of traditional financial oversight.
This bill would help ensure elected officials’ decisions on taxes, regulation, and the economy aren't influenced by conflicts of interest.
I was glad that the bill advanced out of Elections Committee and will move on to its next committee stop.
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Capitol ADA Parking and MILLIONS for a building demo
Gov. Walz wants $19.5 million to demolish the Centennial Office Building. It's unclear how much money they’ll want to build a new one, but the new State Office Building costs $750 million.
Meanwhile, state government spends millions to rent office space off the Capitol Complex while state-owned real estate sits empty. Just look at Minnesota Housing, which spends $1.6 million per year to rent office space in downtown St. Paul in the beautiful Treasure Island Center, below the Tria rink where the MN Wild practice.
It's not surprising that MN Democrats spent the entire $18 billion surplus with spending like this.
In related Capitol complex news, you’ve probably heard of the new security measures at the Capitol and Minnesota Senate Building. But there’s another thing we should be concerned about and that’s ADA access.
Right now, there’s only 20 disability parking spots under the MSB.
I’ve been trying to do something about accessibility parking at the Capitol for 9 years. It’s the People’s House.
We make all these changes to Capitol security, to the landscaping of the Capitol, but we don’t add more accessibility parking. We put more thought into a statue than we do just giving access to people who want to come participate in government.
Everyone, regardless of physical ability, should have equal access to the Capitol.
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MN Fraud Files
Originally created during the eight-year term of Gov. Mark Dayton, Center of the American Experiment’s Scandal Tracker was reopened to account for the ever-growing list of frauds and scandals perpetuated under the Tim Walz administration.
Your one-stop resource for everything related to state government fraud in Minnesota
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Contact Me
Be sure to follow me on Facebook for more frequent updates throughout the session.
I always appreciate hearing from constituents. It helps me do my job better and stay focused on the issues that matter most to you.
If you have questions, concerns, or ideas, feel free to reach out. You can email at sen.rich.draheim@mnsenate.gov, and my legislative assistant, Henry Rosckes, is available at henry.rosckes@mnsenate.gov.
Thanks for reading.
Rich
Rich Draheim
Minnesota Senate, District 22