Friends and neighbors,
The Democrats continued their full-blown assault on your liberties this week. They advanced a bill to place a referendum on the ballot this fall that would enshrine unlimited abortion up until birth in the Minnesota Constitution. It’s disguised as an "Equal Rights Amendment" to avoid honest debate. Governor Walz tried to distract from his disastrous record on fraud by pushing unconstitutional gun restrictions, including a new tax on firearms and ammo, warrantless searches of gun storage, and a ban on semiautomatic weapons. And Democrats got upset when I read aloud from a radical book they promote in our libraries, claiming it "wasn't appropriate" for adults in the Capitol, yet it's somehow fine for our kids.
Meanwhile, Gov. Walz’s fraud crisis keeps spiraling. A new report this week showed that of the more than 500 unlicensed autism centers operating in Minnesota last year, only 6 have applied for the required licenses so far. That means potentially 98% may have been operating fraudulently, stealing taxpayer dollars meant for vulnerable children and families. It's outrageous.
As for the agency commissioner who oversaw the autism program mess, and potentially billions in Medicaid fraud, one would expect accountability. Instead, Gov. Walz promoted Shireen Gandhi from "temporary" DHS commissioner to permanent. We will fight her Senate confirmation and send a clear message to Democrats that commissioners who tolerate fraud have no place overseeing billions in taxpayer money.
The chaos at the Capitol this week is all by Democrat design. There's real work to do like fixing the state's budget crisis, stopping taxpayer dollars from being stolen, making our communities safer, and strengthening our schools, but they'd rather play political games.
Next week, we'll be back at it, and I’ll be fighting for you, fighting for our district, and fighting for our values.
Thanks for reading,
Senator Michael Holmstrom, District 29
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Fighting to protect life and Title IX
On Monday, the Minnesota Senate Judiciary Committee advanced SF 473, a bill that would place a constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot. The bill would effectively enshrine unlimited abortion in the Minnesota Constitution and weaken Title IX protections for girls.
The Declaration of Independence guarantees the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, chief among them being life. No serious scientific understanding can argue that a baby in the womb is not a human life. The bill as written is deceptive and will fabricate a constitutional right to abortion all the way up to birth. Minnesotans do not support unmitigated infanticide.
I offered an amendment to remove the abortion-related language, which was defeated on party lines. I also proposed an amendment to remove “gender identity” and “gender expression” from the bill, which was also voted down along party lines.
Oppression of female voices and opportunities is at an all-time high. Our daughters deserve privacy. They deserve equal rights, opportunities, and our protection. Title IX was a hard-fought victory for our girls and now it’s under a full-blown Democrat assault. We owe our daughters protection.
The bill passed the committee on a party-line vote, but rest assured, we will keep fighting to protect life and protect our daughters.
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Walz gun restrictions are punitive, unconstitutional attacks on legal gun owners
Governor Tim Walz released a new set of gun restriction proposals, including a proposed tax on firearm and ammunition sales, registration of currently owned semi-automatic rifles and mandatory law enforcement inspections of their storage, and bans on certain constitutionally protected firearms such as assault rifles.
These restrictions are unconstitutional. They are just Gov. Walz’s attempt to distract from his disastrous record on fraud. They will never pass the legislature.
I will fight for you, I will not back down.
SHALL. NOT. BE. INFRINGED.
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I am proud to stand with these men as a founding member of the Minnesota Freedom Caucus
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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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Thanks for reading. During session, I send out weekly newsletters to update you on what’s happening at the Capitol. Sign up for the newsletter here.
In Liberty,
Michael
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Social Media
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Contact Me
Hearing from constituents helps make me a better legislator. Never hesitate to reach out if you have a question or concern. I can be reached via email at sen.michael.holmstrom@mnsenate.gov or at 651-296-5981.
My legislative assistant, Zachary Queensland, is also a great resource for information. He can be reached at zachary.queensland@mnsenate.gov or at 651-296-0769.