After passing a handful of bills left undone during regular Session, the Legislature convened for a marathon Special Session and adjourned in the early morning hours today. Bills passed included Bonding, Commerce, Energy, Environment, Health and Human Services, Human Services, Higher Education, Education Finance, Taxes, Transportation, Workforce Development and Labor, Data Center adjustments, and eligibility changes to MinnesotaCare Coverage.

Senator Michael Kreun (R-Blaine) released the following statement in response:

“After debating 14 bills overnight, Minnesota is left with an unacceptable $4.2 billion in tax and fee increases over the next four years. Make no mistake, this is the only way Democrats were willing to address their budget woes after spending our state into a $6 billion deficit in record time – their only answer is to raise taxes and fees at an unsustainable rate. 

“Instead of making cuts to bloated agencies, agency spending got a massive increase of $770 million, while funding for special education, disability services, and nursing homes were cut. This was all done by a small group of legislators in backroom deals that cut every other voice out of the process. Who is left to suffer? Minnesota families.

“More than anything, I’m disappointed that this process cut out the voices of every single Minnesotan and the people elected to represent them. There is a lack of transparency in our process, and it continues to devolve and get worse every single year. I voted against every single budget bill because we did not have the time to vet them, and every single one of these bills was written behind closed doors without input from communities, the public, and the legislators that represent them. This is no way to govern, and the process was a sham.”