by Dennis Dalman
A historic session at the Minnesota Legislature approved a veritable cornucopia of new laws, provisions and bonding money that caused swift reactions from those strongly in favor and those adamantly opposed.
The legislation was made possible mainly because Democrats now have a trifecta – that is, the control of the House and the Senate and the governorship, Tim Walz.
One big bouquet of praise came from ISAIAH, which is a multi-faith, multi-racial, nonpartisan faith-based community-organizing coalition in Minnesota. It released the following statement:
“This legislative session was the best for workers, families and children in Minnesota’s history – bar none. The achievements for workers and families – like Democracy for the People, historic funding for children and childcare, 100-percent clean energy and other climate action, a more fair and progressive tax code, a MinnesotaCare public option and expansion and paid family and medical leave – are part of a vision Minnesotans spent years developing, electing a majority for and pushing over the finish line.”
Reactions to the vast legislative package from opponents was not so nice. Far from it; it was downright caustic.
Rep. Tim O’Driscoll, a Sartell resident who represents District 13B, praised some of the legislation such as Sartell and Sauk Rapids receiving infrastructure improvements and eligibility for Social Security tax relief being broadened. However, in a statement, O’Driscoll blasted most of the legislative package.
He wrote this: “The 2023 legislative session has ended, and it will likely be remembered as the year the legislative Democrat majorities and Governor Walz agreed to spend the surplus while raising $9.7 billion in taxes on Minnesotans in order to pay for continued government growth.”
A joint reaction statement was released by Republican lawmakers Tom Emmer, Pete Stauber, Brad Finstad and Michelle Fischbach. The following are the opening lines:
“In just five months, the unchecked Democrat Party has wreaked unprecedented havoc on Minnesotans and our future. For weeks, fellow members of Congress from across the country have been asking us what is wrong with the lawmakers in St. Paul. Like us, they are shocked at how the Democrat-controlled legislature in a few short months recklessly blew an $18 billion surplus on a partisan, special-interest spending spree. When that wasn’t enough to satisfy them, they passed $10 billion in tax increases on the same hardworking Minnesotans who were overtaxed in the first place.”
The following are just some of what was approved in the legislative session:
• The restoration of voting rights to about 55,000 Minnesotans with felony convictions.
• Paid family and medical leave.
• A new standards board to deal with nursing home staffing crises.
• Free school meals for all children.
• $2.3 million to close gaps in federal funding for essential school services, such as special education.
• An increase of $650 million for higher education.
• A tuition freeze for two years at colleges and universities.
• Increases to funding for mental-health resources.
• A ban on the use of per- and polyfluorakyle substance, also known as PFAS.
• $1 billion in new spending for environment and energy projects in an effort to reverse climate change.
• A $2,500 rebate for a new electric car costing less than $55,000.
• The right for Minnesotans to make autonomous decisions about reproductive health, including contraception, abortions, as well as the right to carry a pregnancy to term.
• Protections for out-of-state women seeking abortions in Minnesota, making the state a refuge for those who come here form states where abortion is illegal.
• Protections from out-of-state prosecutions for transgender individuals who seek gender-affirming care in Minnesota.
• A ban on “conversion therapy” for children and vulnerable adults.
• Legalization for personal possession of two ounces of marijuana for adults 21 and older.
• Establishment of an Office of Cannabis (marijuana) Management, a regulatory agency.
• Legalization of the sale and taxation of marijuana products.
• A $1.13 billion one-time rebate for millions of Minnesotans. Depending on income, the rebates from$260 to $520. There will be for each dependent child (up to a maximum of three) a payment of $260.
• A new child tax credit for $1,750 for each child under age 18.
• $7.8 billion in funds for roads, public transit and airports for the next two years.
• A 50 cent fee for any retail delivery over $100.
• Authorizing $194 million for the Northern Lights Express passenger rail line between the Twin Cities and Duluth.
• A red-flag law that can remove firearms from the possession of someone deemed at high risk of injuring others or themselves.
• $300 million in additional funding for city, county and tribal police departments and mental-health teams.
• $43 million in a four-year period to help the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension combat violent crime.
