Dear Neighbor,
It's like clockwork. The snow melts, the road construction begins and Democrats in the Legislature start trying to strip away our Second Amendment rights.
It happened again this week when Democrats in both the Senate and the House brought forward proposals to further regulate firearms this week. Once again, Republicans are not going to let this happen and are putting a stop to these proposals.
Kudos to all the Second Amendment supporters who showed up at the Capitol to testify against Senate bills that would compromise our gun rights. They provided some good information. Also, hats off to the House Republicans who helped defeat an amendment a Democrat offered on the floor this week.
I am happy to continue working against these proposals to take away our gun rights, but also hope these dog-and-pony shows stop so we can put our full attention toward things people in Minnesota actually want: tax relief and a long-term transportation plan.
We are now only about three weeks from the 2016 session ending. The House approved three supplemental omnibus bills this week. One thing I mentioned in an update a few weeks ago is the House's supplemental budget bills do not include a net increase in spending. Our state is fully funded for this biennium, so these omnibus bills simply adjust to new information that has been gained since our budget was enacted last spring. The budget bills do not touch the $900 million surplus.
Look for more from the Capitol as we near adjournment.
Sincerely,
Tom