Nelson: A recap of the 2025 session
By: SENATOR CARLA NELSON Recently, I attended the candlelight vigil for Speaker-Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and paid my respects at the Capitol as they lay in state. I was heartened to see…
Gruenhagen: Troubling hiring policies and oversight failures at state agencies
Friends and neighbors, Thanks to great reporting by Alpha News, we recently learned that the Minnesota Department of Education hired a convicted sex offender for a high-level director role where he earned $145,000. This individual…
Sen. Westrom calls out Gov. Walz’s outrageous $430,000 legal fees tied to his congressional testimony
On Wednesday, July 9, the Star Tribune reported that Gov. Tim Walz billed Minnesota taxpayers $430,000 for legal fees related to his congressional testimony last month. The funds were used to pay “outside lawyers who helped Gov.…
Limmer, Kreun, Housley criticize “shortsighted” plan to close Stillwater Correctional Facility: “rushed” decision will lead to “erosion of public safety”
The DOC has already begun moving inmates, with a goal to move about half the population by Oct. 1, 2025 ST. PAUL, Minn. — As part of end-of-session budget negotiations in May, it was announced…
Johnson: DEI hiring and careless vetting at state agencies harms integrity of state government
Yesterday, a local news reporter shared images of a new hiring policy being instituted at the Department of Human Services. The policy letter states, “Hiring supervisors must provide a hiring justification when seeking to hire…
Jasinski: a transportation funding recap
Friends and neighbors, This year’s transportation budget totals more than $9.9 billion across various transportation-related funds. It includes $650 million in federal money for the Blatnik Bridge in Duluth, $454 million for state road construction,…
A Bipartisan Bonding Package
A Bipartisan Bonding Package by Senator Jason Rarick Every year, it seems like bonding legislation is a big part of the end of session negotiations, and this year was no different. In recent years we’ve…
How we can honor Rep. Hortman and Sen. Hoffman
By: SENATOR CARLA NELSON Like many of you, I have been shaken by the horrific attacks on two Democrat lawmakers recently. Former Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were taken from this world in…
Heintzeman: Submit your comments about troubling K-12 health standards proposal
Friends and neighbors, I would strongly encourage all of you to submit your comments about the state’s proposed new health education requirements for K-12 students, which will impose gender ideology benchmarks on kids as young…
Heintzeman: New laws that took effect July 1
Friends and neighbors, A number of new state laws officially took effect on July 1, including several tied to Minnesota’s recently passed $66 billion budget. Among them: $100 million to reimburse school districts for unemployment…
Sen. Draheim June 2025 Update
Senator Rich Draheim Friends and neighbors, It’s been a strange summer at the Capitol. First came the 21-hour Special Session, followed by a tragedy none of us could have imagined. The assassination of Speaker Emerita…
New law could save Benson schools from $1 million mascot change
A new law passed during the 2025 legislative session provides schools like the Benson Braves a clearer and more reasonable path to preserve their current American Indian mascots. Instead of the strict law passed by…
Senator Bruce Anderson: Celebrating our freedoms this Independence Day
Friends and neighbors, This Fourth of July marks the 249th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. As we come together with family and friends to enjoy fireworks, barbecues, and parades, let us…
Heintzeman: Minnesota needs permitting reform!
Friends and neighbors, One of the biggest challenges Minnesota is facing has been this state’s confusing, convoluted, and excessive permitting process. Over the last several years there have been attempts to improve our broken permitting…
Draz: Politics should never turn violent; a recap of the new state budget
Friends and neighbors, The murders of former Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the attempted murder of Senator John Hoffman and his wife, have shocked and saddened all of us. I served with Speaker…
A Tribute to Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman
By Senator Andrew Lang Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman was one of a kind. She carried herself with a presence that earned both respect and admiration. She was principled in her politics, but more than that,…
Green issues statement regarding damaging storms that ripped through Northern Minnesota
Over the weekend, damaging storms ripped through the northern half of Minnesota causing devastation for many. For Beltrami County, the storm brought winds between 100-120 mph which damaged numerous structures, led to power outages, and…
Jasinski: Special session results: State bureaucracy spending grows while vulnerable Minnesotans get cuts
By: SENATOR JOHN JASINSKI The 2025 special session has ended, and the outcome is frustrating for anyone who believes government should exist to serve the people, not itself. After weeks of closed-door, secret negotiations, what…
Draz: Shotgun zone eliminated!
Friends and neighbors, One significant victory from this year’s legislative session was that we successfully eliminated the archaic shotgun-only hunting zone for southern Minnesota. Hunters here will finally be treated fairly with the rest of…
Gruenhagen: Special session recap: new state budget great for bureaucracy, bad for Minnesota families
Friends and neighbors, The 2025 special session ended early in the morning on June 10. While there were a few victories, the overall result was incredibly disappointing. The new budget prioritized growing state government bureaucracy…