The Minnesota Legislature called it a day Sunday, May 18, taking credit in the House for working together for the good of the state and its citizens as mature adults ought to do. People working together for a common good, compromising and acting reasonably in a legislative session will oftentimes occur when the two major parties enjoy equal representation.
And yet, the Minnesota House of Representatives weekly news service makes it sound like such bipartisan cooperation is to be celebrated rather than expected. Sadly, it is.
Under the leadership of Speaker of the House Rep. Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, a candidate to replace Gov. Tim Walz, the body adjourned having completed important work on addressing fraud via the creation of an inspector general’s office and more funding for fraud investigations, assistance for the state’s primary catch-all hospital (Hennepin County Medical Center) and a 14.88% increase in homestead property tax refunds costing $125 million from the state’s general fund.
The tax bill is the byproduct of discussions between the Senate and House.
The bill reflects a 2025 transportation bill sponsored by Rep. Jon Koznick (RLakeville) with a delete-all amendment requiring a $75 million transfer in Fiscal Year 2027 from the state’s general fund to the driver and vehicle services operating account, presumably to deliver the promised reduction in vehicle registration fees. The House passed the plan, 126-8, and the Senate OK’d 52-15, before heading to Walz for his signature. The tax bill will help soften the blow of rising property taxes. It does not address the notion local government has to learn to truly prioritize spending. You might see references to calls to eliminate property taxes for, say, seniors who have finished paying for their houses. While that sounds nice, it doesn’t address the idea property taxes pay for services. If local governments tax less, they have to cut back their spending.
The House and Senate also overwhelmingly passed a $1.24 billion bonding bill, the House by a 122-11 margin and the Senate by a 60-7 vote. The bill also includes the motor vehicle registration tax changes struck between legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz, which would reduce the Highway User Tax Distribution Fund by $119 million in Fiscal Year 2027 and $135 million in Fiscal Year 2028. And the bill would allocate $800,000 for a memorial to the late Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, also part of the deal, according to the House news service.
The bill is a sign two parties can work together when the issue is right. But we shouldn’t be applauding the two sides for working together. We should be telling our lawmakers compromise and bipartisan legislation is expected. Does that require give-and-take? Yes. As long as those agreements are reached after public discussions in the bright light of day with details made known to the public, we can all live with it.
But lawmakers know, and in at least one case celebrate, several proposals they didn’t find common ground on. At the top of the list is gun safety. The House News service reported polls have regularly found that the majority of Minnesotans support these proposals, including a recent poll showing 79% of suburban Minnesotans support an assault-weapons style ban, with the Twin Cities (71%) and Greater Minnesota (62%) also overwhelmingly in support. Parents from Annunciation Catholic Church visited lawmakers early in the session asking for some movement on gun safety. Despite a 39-hour sit-in by activists and Rep. Kristi Pursell, DFLNorthfield, Demuth sided with the NRA and pro-gun supporters and refused to allow a vote on a comprehensive gun safety including a ban on certain semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity the founding fathers couldn’t have envisioned. The DFLcontrolled Senate approved the bill. Pursell represents the portion of New Prague in Scott County. Rep. Terry Stier, R-Belle Plaine, said he would “never” vote against Second Amendment rights.
We hope Chief Stier never has to oversee the aftermath of a school shooting in which children are murdered in his community. Stier represents the portion of New Prague in Le Sueur County.