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Greetings, everyone. I wanted you to know about some of the news here in St. Paul.
The Omnibus Tax Bill
Last week, the Democrats passed the omnibus tax bill in the Minnesota House of Representatives. The bill, known as HF 991, passed by a vote of 68-66. I voted against this bill because it is an awful bill that will raise taxes on Minnesotans.
Some of the provisions in HF 991 include a new income tax bracket for individuals, and more rules for businesses. I am absolutely astonished that the Democrats would try and take more of your hard-earned money after the year that we have been through. This is entirely unnecessary because Minnesota state government is swimming in money.
The Department of Revenue has stated that Minnesota is expected to over-collect $1.6 billion in taxes from Minnesotans. That means we are taking far more money from you than government needs. Also, the federal government has sent Minnesota $8 billion related to pandemic aid. These two factors clearly demonstrate that we do not need to raise more revenue at the expense of Minnesota taxpayers.
Government has more money than it knows what to do with. Despite this, Democrats are not satisfied. They want to increase taxes, collect more money, and increase spending. Earlier this year, the Democrats in the Minnesota House proposed a biennial budget which would set a record for the largest budget in Minnesota history. These fiscal policies are harmful to Minnesota, and I will continue to vote against them.
For more information about the omnibus tax bill, please see the below video:
Identity Politics and the Democrats
The Democrats in the Minnesota House of Representatives are working to advance identity politics. Throughout this legislative session, Democrats have made repeated efforts to introduce bills and provisions that favor certain people based on their race. These efforts are prejudiced, shameful, and should not be supported.
One example of the Democrat effort to insert identity politics into every debate can be found in the omnibus environment and natural resources bill. We discussed this legislation in the Minnesota House last week. Democrats included a provision in the bill that creates what are known as “environmental justice areas.” The bill defines these zones as places where 40% or more of the population is non-white. These environmental justice areas are then given priority regarding certain environmental projects. That is nothing more than discrimination based on race.
These racist proposals are vile and should not be a part of the legislation we discuss here in St. Paul. The racialization of every topic that is discussed in the Minnesota Legislature is unacceptable and abhorrent. Democrats need to stop viewing everything through the lens of race and start viewing people as human beings.
I believe in equality, fairness, and respect; and I will not support any ideas that go against these principles.
For my full speech on this subject, please see the below video:
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