St. Paul Reporter

The 2025 Minnesota legislative session extended beyond its scheduled end date of May 19, requiring a special session that lasted an additional 22 days. State Representative Ben Davis described the delay as resulting from a partisan dispute involving lawmakers who were absent due to disagreements over a candidate's residency qualifications. Despite their absence, these legislators continued to receive their salaries funded by taxpayers.

Davis criticized the budgetary decisions made in the previous biennium, noting that state spending increased from $52 billion to $72 billion and taxes rose by $10 billion, leading to a projected $6 billion structural deficit. He stated, "I opposed those increases then, and I still do now. This session, Republicans fought to rein in that runaway spending. We successfully secured the largest reduction to government spending in state history. But in my view, we still didn’t cut deeply enough. Too many in St. Paul remain far too comfortable spending other people’s money."

One policy change highlighted by Davis was the repeal of taxpayer-funded health coverage for adult undocumented immigrants, which will be phased out starting January 1, 2026. He said, "While I believe this program should end immediately, this change is a major step toward fiscal responsibility. Emergency care remains available to all, and private insurance is still an option. But asking Minnesota taxpayers to subsidize free care for those here illegally is simply wrong."

Education funding was another point of contention during the session. According to Davis, Democrats increased funding for the Department of Education by $17 million while reducing school budgets by more than $70 million and did not support mandate relief or legislation aimed at protecting girls’ sports participation opportunities.

Davis noted some legislative achievements as well: "We preserved nonpublic pupil aid, supporting homeschool, religious, and charter school families. And we made long-overdue progress by adopting the Science of Reading as Minnesota’s official literacy standard—a crucial step toward helping our kids succeed."

He also pointed to House File 2—legislation he authored—which requires state agency employees to report suspected fraud and strengthens whistleblower protections: "These reforms are long overdue. Minnesotans have watched in disbelief as scandals like the Feeding Our Future scheme defrauded taxpayers of hundreds of millions of dollars." Interim U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson has estimated losses from this fraud scheme at close to $500 million.

Davis criticized Attorney General Keith Ellison regarding his handling of individuals involved in recent fraud cases: "These same fraudsters were welcomed into the Attorney General’s office and even pledged campaign donations. Yet to this day, Keith Ellison has failed to fully account for his actions. I intend to keep pressing for answers because I believe accountability in government isn’t optional."

Looking ahead, Davis stated his commitment remains with constituents: "The 2025 legislative session may be over, but my work isn’t. I’ll be spending the coming months meeting with constituents, listening to your concerns, and preparing for the challenges ahead... They deserve transparency, fiscal responsibility, and leadership that prioritizes Minnesotans over political agendas."