St. Paul Reporter

The Minnesota legislative session has concluded following a special session on Monday, marking the end of a year characterized by a tied House, several special elections, and a $6 billion budget deficit. Lawmakers faced challenges in reaching consensus, resulting in mixed outcomes.

Rep. Ben Bakeberg reflected on the session, noting the difficulties of working within a divided government. "I know many of you, frustrated by years of Democrat control, were looking for a little more out of this session – I hear you. There was a lot of legislation I was disappointed to see stalled and even more I was unhappy with being included in final legislation," he stated.

He emphasized that Republicans now have increased influence: "We now have a seat at the table, occupying one half of one third of state government, we were able to deliver significant progress for our constituents and the State of Minnesota. We’ve gained ground and we must continue building on that as we move forward – not fall back into tearing down our fellow Republicans."

Key measures highlighted include the repeal of taxpayer-funded health care for undocumented adults under MinnesotaCare. According to Bakeberg, "The repeal is expected to save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in the years ahead." The Education Policy bill maintained support for nonpublic pupil aid and charter schools while establishing the Science of Reading as Minnesota's literacy standard. It also imposed new limits on Department of Education litigation funds.

Bakeberg raised concerns about education funding changes: "While the Democrats and Governor Walz were pushing through a $17 million dollar funding increase for the Department of Education, they simultaneously cut over $70 million from our schools."

On healthcare legislation, he noted efforts to protect patients and rural care but cited concerns over departmental spending increases: "Despite the good provisions in this bill, I voted against this bill because of the significant increase to the Departments included in this bill."

Other legislative actions included reforms to strengthen oversight in nursing homes and permitting processes aimed at reducing business delays while supporting environmental protections. Unemployment insurance benefits were extended for miners; workforce development measures were enacted; improvements were made to sick leave laws; fraud prevention was addressed; and spending reductions totaling approximately $60 million were achieved.

Lawmakers blocked proposed tax increases exceeding $8 billion but approved certain tax hikes related to cannabis. Infrastructure investments focused on road construction and maintenance received support, though some bills faced opposition due to increased funding allocations.

Bakeberg supported infrastructure bonding for clean water projects and transportation but opposed cash bonding for what he described as unnecessary political projects. He also backed oversight measures for large data centers and energy policies intended to avoid costly climate mandates while enhancing system reliability.

Regarding higher education funding shortfalls, provisions included expanded grants for foster youth and scholarships for injured peace officers’ families. However, Bakeberg objected to departmental spending increases and unfulfilled responsibilities regarding University Regents selection.

He concluded by stating: "This isn’t a one-time deal, this is the platform going forward: delivering real, effective solutions for our constituents while ensuring tax dollars are truly going where they’re intended – not to shady non-profits and radical causes that don’t reflect the wishes of Minnesotans."

Bakeberg thanked constituents for their engagement throughout the session: "I’m proud of the work we did this year, and I want to thank each of you who took the time to share your thoughts, experiences, and ideas...I’m grateful for your partnership...Let’s continue working to get our state back on track."