Friends and neighbors,
It feels great to be back in St. Paul for the new legislative session. As always, I return to the Capitol focused on the good folks I represent in Goodhue, Rice, Steele, and Waseca Counties. There’s a lot to tackle this year, but the priorities I’m hearing from you are pretty consistent.
First, I have been talking about this for a while now, but we have to get serious about fraud. Fraudsters are having a field day with your tax dollars because Gov. Walz and his administration have repeatedly failed to stop it. This week, Senate Republicans unveiled our action plan to prevent fraud. These are common sense ideas that will restore confidence that your money is being handled responsibly.
Affordability is the other issue I hear about everywhere I go. Families are feeling the squeeze from rising property taxes, housing costs, energy bills, car tab fees, and everyday costs. It adds up fast. Families are tightening their belts, but state government has not done the same. In 2023, Minnesota had an $18 billion surplus. You’ll recall that Democrats had total control of government at the time. They took that surplus, spent the entire thing, raised taxes $10 billion, and left us facing a projected $6 billion hole that we are still climbing out of. Government needs to make taxpayers the priority again.
This year I’ll be working on practical tax relief, like matching the federal standard deduction, eliminating the tax on Social Security, and rolling back expensive mandates that drive up costs.
An early session victory I wanted to highlight. For years, local governments have been required to shoulder an unaffordable share of the costs when state highway projects run through their communities. I introduced a bill last year to kickstart the conversation, and we successfully added a provision to the 2025 transportation budget that instructed MnDOT to update its policy on this. We received a report about the new policy this week, and it’s great: It significantly reduces the financial burden on local property taxpayers, making it much easier for local governments to afford these big road projects. It's a bipartisan win that will free up local dollars for police, fire, streets, and other essential services across Greater Minnesota.
I’m also working on a bill to address the OBGYN crisis in rural Minnesota. Over the past decade, we have seen hospital-based obstetric services disappear in county after county. It impacted southern Minnesota directly near the end of 2025, when Faribault lost its birth center. My bill would create a targeted loan forgiveness program for OBGYNs who commit to practicing in rural communities. Medical school debt is massive, and this is one way to level the playing field so rural Minnesota can compete.
You’ve also been very clear about the idea of a potential bailout for Minneapolis. Gov. Walz has floated the possibility of state assistance to address damage caused by riots and unrest. I have heard from many of you, and you are livid that this is even on the table. There is a strong feeling that cities should be accountable for how they are run and for the consequences of those decisions. I agree. I will not support a bailout package for the damage caused to Minneapolis and St. Paul by rioters and agitators.
On that note, I want to say thank you to the men and women in law enforcement for everything they are doing to keep us safe. It has been frustrating to watch law enforcement get disparaged, undermined, and attacked while simply trying to do their jobs. We need to support law enforcement as they work to remove violent criminals from our communities and keep our neighborhoods safe.
Remember: I am here to represent you, so I need to hear from you. What is on your mind? What is affecting you, your family, or your business? What issues do you want me to focus on this year? Drop me a line and let me know: sen.john.jasinski@mnsenate.gov.
As always, it is a privilege to serve you.
Sincerely,