News – Page 5 – Minnesota Senate Republicans

April 30, 2025

Kreun rejects Judiciary bill that releases more convicted felons from prison early

Senate Democrats today brought forward a controversial Judiciary bill that continues the trend of making Minnesota less safe. The $3.84 billion judiciary and public safety package increases state spending by over $106 million. The bill…

April 30, 2025

Senate Republicans secure additional funding for law enforcement, nonprofit accountability in Democrat public safety bill

Bill also releases more convicted felons from prison early Minnesota Senate Republicans today successfully added three amendments to a judiciary and public safety proposal (HF2432) that secured additional funding for law enforcement officers and strengthened…

April 30, 2025

Senator Dahms: Local pastor provides prayer for Minnesota Senate session

During the Minnesota Senate’s floor session on Monday, April 28, Pastor Regina Garrett of the First United Methodist Church in Redwood Falls provided the Prayer of the Day as the guest chaplain. Each biennium, the…

April 30, 2025

Housley condemns Jobs and Labor bill for prioritizing government, not Minnesotans

Democrats yesterday brought forward a Jobs and Labor budget and policy package that expands government, increases regulations and funnels millions to private organizations. As a result, Minnesotans are left with fewer opportunities and higher costs. …

April 30, 2025

Environment bill fails to rein in DNR over-spending, increases fees, neglects concerns over permitting reform

Senate Democrats today passed an environment bill that empowers the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to continue over-spending and fails to ask for any meaningful cuts to the DNR budget. A core theme of this…

April 29, 2025

Jobs and Labor budget prioritizes government, not Minnesotans

The majority’s Jobs and Labor budget and policy package, SF 1832, today passed out of the Senate on a vote of 35-30. Instead of focusing on creating higher-wage, in-demand jobs and supporting economic growth, the bill…

April 29, 2025

Farnsworth adds miner unemployment protections to Senate Jobs and Labor bill

Senator Rob Farnsworth (R-Hibbing) today successfully advanced a bipartisan amendment that would provide additional unemployment benefits for miners affected by recent planned mine closures on the Iron Range. The Farnsworth amendment, which was added to…

April 29, 2025

Senator Johnson capitol update — the first batch of budget bills

Greetings from the Capitol Friends and Neighbors, As we dive into the latter part of the legislative session, we’re heading into longer floor sessions and a busier pace here in St. Paul. From the Governor’s…

April 28, 2025

Hometown Heroes adjustment bill passes with unanimous support

In the 2021 Legislative Session, Senator Jeff Howe (R-Rockville) authored the Hometown Heroes Act, which created the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program, the most comprehensive firefighter well-being initiative in the nation. The bill addressed the alarmingly high…

April 28, 2025

Lieske: Victory With Cottage Foods!

Hello Neighbors, I’m proud to share that after years of working alongside a dedicated local organization and passionate community advocates, our work has paid off: our cottage food reform initiative has officially been included in…

April 28, 2025

Sen. Lucero opposes vaccinations by coercion

Current state law permits the conscientiously held beliefs of the parent or guardian to exempt their minor child from immunization. The law has been in place since 1978. A pair of recently introduced bills, SF…

April 25, 2025

Senate passes one-sided State and Local Government Omnibus bill despite calls for bipartisanship

Senate Democrats today passed a partisan State and Local Government Omnibus budget bill that includes a negative target for both the upcoming biennium and the 2028–2029 budget cycle. The bill also folds in controversial Elections…

April 25, 2025

Howe rejects Education Policy bill that ignores student and teacher priorities, fails to protect girls’ sports

Senate Democrats this week passed a partisan Education Policy bill that fails to address key concerns raised by teachers, parents, and school leaders. The bill does little to help school districts manage the dozens of…

April 25, 2025

Free health care for illegal immigrants: At what cost to Minnesotans?

A concerned constituent recently sent me a text message regarding the escalating cost of providing medical care to illegal immigrants in the State of Minnesota. Here’s what’s currently in place: In the 2023 Health and…

April 25, 2025

Gruenhagen: A surge in illegal immigrants signing up for free healthcare

Friends and neighbors, Last biennium, Governor Walz and the Democrats made illegal immigrants eligible for free taxpayer-funded health care through MinnesotaCare. They said it would be a small program – projections from the Walz administration…

April 24, 2025

Senate passes Education Policy Omnibus bill that ignores student and teacher priorities

Senate Democrats today passed a partisan Education Policy Omnibus bill that fails to address key concerns raised by teachers, parents, and school leaders. The bill does little to help school districts manage the dozens of…

April 24, 2025

Democrats fail to join Republicans in protecting girls’ sports

Today, every Minnesota Democrat voted against a state version of Title IX that would protect girls’ sports, and provide additional training and support to identify and report abuse in athletics. Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester),…

April 24, 2025

Senate Republican Statements on Ethical Considerations around Senator Bobby Joe Champion

On April 24, the Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct met to discuss Senator Champion’s request for an advisory opinion under Senate Rules as it pertained to Minnesota Statute 10A.07. On a 4-0 vote, the committee adopted a…

April 24, 2025

Senate Commerce budget and policy package contains more fees, fewer protections for Minnesotans

The DFL majority’s Omnibus Commerce Policy and Appropriations bill (Senate File 2216) passed out of the Senate without strong bipartisan support. While the bill contains a handful of bipartisan provisions, it also increases costs, fails…

April 24, 2025

Housley supports bipartisan Veterans bill that expands services and provides supports

Yesterday with unanimous bipartisan support, the Senate passed a Veterans omnibus bill that includes a handful of beneficial policies for veterans, including the streamlining of eligibility checks for services, additional support for County Veteran Service…