The bill increases state spending nearly 40% and moves forward with controversial elections changes, including ‘pop-up’ voting locations

ST. PAUL – Early last Friday morning, the Senate passed the State Government and Elections budget bill on a party line vote. The bill explodes state government spending with a 40% increase from the last budget and moves controversial election policies forward without bipartisan support.  

“This bill is a slap in the face of taxpayers. While the state is sitting on a massive $18 billion surplus, Democrats have no problems aggressively over-funding government before ever getting the surplus back to Minnesotans,” Senator Warren Limmer (R- Maple Grove) said.  

The budget bill expands numerous citizen councils, boards, and commissions and gives them granting authority. Concerns were raised that this opens them up to be influenced by outside organizations and effectively puts the state up for sale by unreported donors and private organizations. “Our boards and councils are mostly appointed positions by Gov. Walz and this expansion will drastically affect state policy without any  by the legislature,” Limmer said.  

One such board, made up of eight gubernatorial appointees, was given authority to reduce probation sentences to just five years for criminals without a vote by the legislature. “Giving away legislative power to unelected citizens boards bypasses the representational voice of the people found in the legislature,” Limmer concluded.  

Democrats moved forward with controversial changes despite opposition from local election officials. Sen. Limmer offered an amendment to the bill to protect equity in voting access. The bill allows for temporary “pop-up” voting locations that Sen. Limmer explained could give some voters better access to voting than others. “Allowing arbitrary decisions by government bureaucrats on when and where to place an additional temporary voting location is not fair to voters in other precincts who don’t get that extra access. We know that voting should be easy, but it shouldn’t easier for some and not for others,” Sen. Limmer said. The amendment was failed on a party line vote.