(Jan. 30, 2025) The 2025 session began as unusually as the 2024 session ended, with a 1,440-page bill passed in the final minutes of the session. While I wait for Democrats to return to session, I am focusing on what I can work on for our region. As I begin my second term, I am prioritizing making Minnesota more affordable for our communities.
The reality is that our state budget has a looming $5 billion deficit, and government has grown by 40%. A top priority is addressing massive fraud in agencies to the tune of over $500 million. Just this week, investigators found childcare providers who served no children and were not open, yet millions of taxpayer dollars flowed to them after repeated violations. The tragic part is that this money is wasted, taking away from valid and meaningful programs that directly benefit taxpayers.
Families need affordable energy and reductions in taxes such as vehicle registration fees, tabs, gas taxes, and delivery taxes for every box delivered over $100 in value. The list goes on.
After a historic investment in education, Lake Superior School District faced millions in budget cuts, just like districts across the state. Last week, I listened to school after school share stories of unfunded mandates that have resulted in financial woes across the state. As schools recover from the pandemic, our students and teachers need a supportive environment to cope with a 40% increase in mental health issues and gaps in learning.
Thank you to CEO Greg Ruberg, who traveled to the Capitol to share the needs of the critical access hospital in Two Harbors. I am committed to ensuring that our critical access hospitals remain stable for our communities. In addition, I wrote a workforce grant to allow Lakeview to train and hire more certified nursing assistants. This bill will be introduced at the Labor and Workforce Committee once session committees are in place. Members of the community will benefit from free tuition and onsite training, like the workforce bill I drafted for free EMT training with Lake County Ambulance. These investments in our community will pay long-term dividends to help with vital staffing.
While the Supreme Court ruled that a quorum to conduct business is 68 members, Republicans have 67 and continue to show up daily to work. However, Democrats are not showing up to work, and the Supreme Court made it clear that a resolution will happen when members return to work, whether it is one member or all 66 members. I look forward to seeing my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to get important solutions to things that matter to everyone back home.
Please reach out anytime during the session at rep.natalie.zeleznikar@house.mn.gov, or you can reach me on my cell at 218-409-6822.
In Service,
Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar
