As we come to the end of my first month as your Legislator in St. Paul, and also the first month of the year, I thought it best to focus on what I have accomplished thus far and what I am still fighting for.

As of right now I have 6 bills filed, with 1 already passed the house. Legislators continue to be told there is still a backlog of bills waiting to be drafted in the reviser’s office, as people are working remotely. But the battle to restore our Democratic process by ending Governor Walz’ unconstitutional and immoral executive orders continue. Just last Monday, a majority of the representatives in the state house renewed their commitment to our democratic process, yet 72 hours later not a single DFL representative made good on that promise.  It’s clear now that Monday’s resolution, HR1, was exactly what I claimed it was - another empty promise made by a room of politicians.

WATCH my comments HERE

Passing my First Bill

This week my first bill passed through the House and Senate!  This is a bi-partisan bill that I’m proud to have co-sponsored because it represents my mission in St. Paul - removing government-imposed obstacles.  This bill, HF0017, empowers Minnesotans to acquire a marriage license without having to personally visit a registrar.  It’s the perfect example of reaching across the aisle when DFL colleagues and I share the same mission. 

Immunity for Those Who Violated Walz’ Unconstitutional Orders

This week I introduced a bill that a Minnesota restaurant owner asked me to work on as the State of Minnesota has attacked her for violating Governor Walz’ executive orders.  Within a week of her request, we had a first draft completed and now 2 weeks later this bill has been filed.

This bill provides immunity for those who have been attacked by the Minnesota Department of Health and Attorney General Keith Ellison for simply opening their businesses so they and their employees could provide for their families.  Should this bill become law, all convictions of these businesses will be vacated, their fines will be refunded to them and their licenses will be reinstated.  And perhaps most importantly, they will be left alone to operate their businesses.

Click here for my speech to END Walz’ powers

Election Integrity; What's being done

I have been inundated with calls and emails requesting that we reform our election process. I agree, we need some substantial changes to the system. Which is why I am happy to support my colleagues, Rep. Drazkowski, bill HF0211 which will require a valid ID to be shown in order to receive your ballot or vote in person. This is a common-sense piece of legislation and frankly I am shocked there’s even a debate on its necessity. Regardless of your personal feelings over the election, millions of Americans share concerns over election integrity and hundreds of Americans filed affidavits with stories of election irregularities. If we want to “heal” like the democrats keep telling us we need to, we can take a small but tangible step here with this bill.

The Governor's Budget

Walz introduced his budget this past Tuesday for the 2022-2023 biennium. In it, he proposes a new fifth income tax rate of 10.85 percent and a hike in the corporate income tax rate to 11.25 percent. Minnesota has the fifth highest top rate of state personal income tax in the United States - 9.85 percent on income over $164,400 a year. Only Oregon, New Jersey, Hawaii, and California have higher top rates.

Minnesota doesn’t just tax “the rich” heavily. Our state’s lowest personal income tax rate - 5.35 percent on the first dollar of taxable income - is higher than the highest rate in 25 states. At 9.80 percent on the first dollar of taxable revenue, our state has the fourth highest state corporate income tax rate in the United States. Only Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Iowa have higher rates.

Ironically, many people think higher taxes mean more revenue to doll out to government, but that is not entirely true. Higher tax rates do not necessarily bring higher revenues. Minnesotans actually handed over a larger share of their incomes to the government in the 1990s with top income tax rates of 8.50 percent than they did in the 1970s with rates of 17.0 percent.

All that said, you can count on me to honor my commitment to never support a tax increase.  In fact, it’s time the state shared in the sacrifices that it’s forced upon many of us since last March. These unconstitutional and immoral lockdowns have placed an extreme burden on business owners and workers. The state, and those that push for Big Govt, never seem to think there’s a time for tightening the belt of the state budget.  When times are good, they say we can afford it.  When times are difficult, they claim a Big Government is needed more than ever.  With the state budget being 50% higher than just 10 years ago, I think it’s time the state budget is reigned in.

Coming up Next Week

My five articles of impeachment should be completed next week and I will be introducing them immediately upon completion.  We have worked on these for months now and we have crafted a solid legal argument that the Governor has violated our constitutionally guaranteed rights and I will be seeking to hold him accountable for his actions.

ONE YEAR. We are going on 1 year of the Governor’s hijacking of our government for his own purposes. It’s time we returned this government to the people. Below are the 70 Legislators who voted to uphold our broken system and let Walz rule with impunity.

Click HERE to find your Representative

Contact

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me or my office. We are still attempting to provide regular contact remotely so if you have other needs, please email my Legislative Assistant, Grayson, at Grayson.mcnew@house.mn.

Watch the Minnesota House on Public TV

Video: Streaming Website. Also you can watch committees and Floor Sessions on YouTube.