Dear Friends,
First, I want to wish all moms a very happy Mother’s Day. I hope everyone is able to enjoy some extra time celebrating their moms and grandmas this weekend!
I’ve been warning all session that Democrats are going to spend your $17.5 billion surplus. This week, that all started to become reality as we began passing the final omnibus bills as they came out of conference committee. While we are still keeping an eye on some of the more expensive bills, like Taxes, Transportation, and Paid Family Leave, Democrats are still set to raise $10 billion in new taxes.
Keep reading to learn more about some of the important bills from the week.
Taxpayers Set to Foot the Bill for “Free College”
One of the biggest surprises of the week was the Higher Education omnibus bill. It returned from conference committee with a major new provision that was never heard in the House. The Senate added language to the bill to provide free college to families whose combined income is less than $80,000, at a cost of $100 million to taxpayers.
This is a major, and costly, change that should not have been included without proper vetting. We now have to cut other programs, such as funding for workforce development scholarships that help students who are studying in high-demand fields, to pay for this program. Enrollment has been declining at the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State over the last 10 years. Providing free tuition will not fix enrollment problems. It will only hand Minnesota taxpayers an even greater bill while failing to hold our institutions accountable and ensure state resources are going to students.
Democrats Threatening 2A, Refusing to Protect Kids
Far-left activists continue to push extreme provisions in the Public Safety and Judiciary omnibus bill. In fact, this bill is about anything but public safety. It includes a wish list of provisions that protect criminals and not law-abiding citizens.
Republicans have been shutout of the conference committee process as Democrats refused to name any members of the minority to the committee. Last week, with only 14 minutes notice before the hearing, both Red Flag Laws and Universal Background Checks were added to the bill. Democrats refused to discuss or take public testimony during the hearing. Making fundamental changes to your Second Amendment right with no regard for public input is shocking.
Democrats also removed a Republican provision from the bill that would ensure pedophiles were not considered a protected class under the Human Rights Act. They have replaced this provision with broad, vague language that could easily be exploited by a bad actor as a defense in court.
This bill does nothing to hold violent criminals accountable. Instead of addressing the rise in criminal activity across our state, this bill prioritizes taking away the rights of law-abiding gun owners and watering down our Human Rights Act.
Protecting Our Charities
Earlier this week, Rep. Dawn Gillman and I (pictured below) went to Saint Paul Park to chat with Keith Franke, the Executive Director of Protect Our Charities, to discuss the Democrats proposed changes to charitable gambling.
Electronic pull tabs (e-tabs) are on the chopping block under the Democrat majority. Here are some quick facts about electronic pull tabs and charitable gaming in general.
- Electronic pull tabs now make up 54% of all charitable gaming done in Minnesota.
- Electronic pull tabs were first offered in 2012 (with the open all feature). While starting off slowly, they soon began growing in popularity. Today they are the most popular form of charitable gaming in the state.
- Nonprofits sold $1.9 billion worth of electronic pull tabs in Minnesota last year. That number will top $2.25 billion this year.
- Charitable gaming in general brought in $130 million in charitable donations directly to Minnesota communities. Charitable gaming in general brought in $180 million in tax revenue to the state last year, and have been so successful that the state will be able to use these funds to pay off US Bank stadium 20 years ahead of schedule
- E-tabs have created more opportunities for nonprofits to conduct gaming operations, because they can now operate in any bar or restaurant regardless of space constraints.
I am very concerned that Democrats’ proposed changes will decimate local charities. Instead of families or individuals who get assistance from these local charities in their communities, they’ll depend on state services or be left behind altogether. Families who depend on these local organization to help them pay for youth sports for their kids, where will that support come from with this change? They will be left behind.
Please advocate for your local charities by contacting Democrat lawmakers and telling them to leave the e-tabs alone.
