On Tuesday morning, several sources reported that Democrat Party elites announced Governor Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’s running mate.
Why Tim Walz? The answer is obvious. Walz has a record that is notably more left-leaning than even Kamala Harris.
Tim Walz was one of the most restrictive governors during the COVID years. Under his watch, Minnesota saw the worst COVID fraud in America, with $250 million stolen by Somali groups, which he covered up. No one was fired. He also covered up other fraud scandals, including the Somali daycare and autism frauds, with no accountability.
Minnesota, once a leader in education, now has less than half of its students reading or doing math at grade level under Walz’s leadership. He and Minnesota Democrats mandated “ethnic studies” for every child, pushing a Marxist agenda. The state even removes children from parental custody if parents disagree with a transgender diagnosis.
The 2023 legislative session was one of the most consequential in recent history. With Democrats holding a one-seat majority in the Senate and a six-seat majority in the House, legislation was pushed through quickly, often employing deceptive tactics. This session, labeled a “Minnesota Miracle” by some, saw over 70 bills passed, many controversial and without bipartisan support.
Despite Minnesota’s challenges, such as over 19,000 residents leaving the state from mid-2021 to 2022 and being one of 13 states not to recover pre-pandemic employment levels, Democrats continue to push their agenda. The “Queer Caucus” plans to introduce the Gender Affirming Rights Act next session, aiming to enshrine gender-affirming care rights and mandate comprehensive sex education in all schools.
Abortion
- Protect Reproduction Options (PRO) Act
- Establishes a fundamental right to reproductive health care at any stage of pregnancy.
- No age restrictions for obtaining an abortion.
- Rushed through within the first month of the session.
- Reproductive Healthcare Bill (HF366)
- Makes Minnesota an abortion sanctuary.
- Protects abortion providers from out-of-state legal actions.
- Prohibits licensure denial for doctors/nurses who perform abortions illegally.
- Allows countersuing for judgments from other states on abortion services.
- Health and Human Services Omnibus Bill
- Removes requirement to keep an infant alive after a failed abortion.
- Broadens reproductive health care coverage.
- Requires taxpayer-funded medical assistance for abortions.
- Ends the Positive Alternatives grant program, cutting funding for pro-life centers.
Budget/Taxation
- Biennial Budget Increase
- Budget rising from $52 billion to $72 billion, a nearly 40% increase.
- Surplus Distribution
- Single tax filers receive $260; joint filers get $520; additional $260 per child, up to $1,300 total.
- Child Tax Credit
- $1,750 per child for households earning $35,000 per year, phasing out at $96,250.
- Infrastructure Bill
- Largest in state history.
- New Taxes
- Vehicle purchase taxes and registration fees increased.
- New fee for retail purchases over $100.
- Gas tax now tied to inflation.
- Corporate Tax Increases
- Among the highest in the country.
- Government Spending
- $65 million to establish equity grants and a new Office of Enterprise Management & Sustainability.
- $11 million increase for the Governor’s Office.
Education
- Free School Lunches Bill
- Provides free breakfast and lunch for all students.
- Not income-dependent.
- Estimated to cost $388 million over two years.
- Education Omnibus Bill
- Increases K-12 spending by over 10%, totaling $23.2 billion.
- Per pupil funding tied to inflation starting in 2026.
- Removes legislative oversight of academic standards.
- Requires ethnic studies courses in schools.
- Provides free menstrual products in all school bathrooms.
- Extends school tax levies without voter approval.
- Requires unemployment payments for hourly school workers during summer.
- Limits alternative pathways for teaching licenses.
Elections
- Democracy for the People Act
- Requires automatic voter registration when applying for benefits or driver’s licenses.
- Allows 16 and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote.
- Removes public access restrictions on absentee voter lists.
- Establishes language minority districts for voting materials.
- Creates penalties for election-related misinformation.
- Restricts corporate contributions to elections.
- Potentially adds 450,000 new voters.
- Felon Voting Rights Restored
- Allows felons on probation or parole to vote.
- Requires state to provide voter registration applications to eligible felons.
- Expected to add 55,000 new voters.
- Elections Omnibus Bill
- Joins the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.
- Creates a task force to study ranked-choice voting.
- Changes major party status requirements.
- Requires voter registration forms in colleges and high schools.
- Expands early voting to 18 days before an election.
- Allows electronic transmission of ballots in some cases.
Energy/Environment
- Carbon-Free by 2040 Bill
- Requires 100% of electricity to come from carbon-free sources by 2040.
- Phases in with 80% by 2030 and 90% by 2035.
- Renewable sources must provide 55% of electricity by 2035.
- Public Utilities Commission oversees compliance and possible delays.
- Seasonal restrictions on coal-fired plants.
- Estimated $3,800 annual increase in energy costs per household.
- Renewable Energy Projects
- Approval and infrastructure issues for new projects.
- Potential conversion of farmland to solar farms.
- Higher costs for wind and solar energy compared to fossil fuels.
- Environment, Natural Resources, Climate, and Energy Finance and Policy Bill
- Increases spending by over $650 million.
- Allocates $300+ million for renewable energy subsidies and transition.
- Sets new state emission benchmarks.
- Prioritizes electric vehicle purchases for state fleets.
- Establishes environmental justice areas.
- Requires energy benchmarking for commercial buildings.
Entitlements
- Paid Family and Medical Leave Act
- Provides up to 20 weeks of paid leave for medical or family events.
- Funded by a 0.7% payroll tax increase.
- Estimated to require 400 new government employees.
- One-time $650 million appropriation to start the program.
- Earned Sick and Safe Time
- Requires one hour of leave for every 30 hours worked.
- Allows up to 80 hours to carry over annually.
- Public Option Healthcare
- Studies expanding MinnesotaCare and removing income limits.
- Allows illegal immigrants to qualify for MinnesotaCare.
- Social Security Tax Exemption
- Exempts single filers earning up to $78,000 and joint filers up to $100,000.
- Phases out at $118,000 for individuals and $140,000 for couples.
LGBTQ
- Trans Refuge Bill
- Makes Minnesota a refuge for children seeking gender-affirming treatment.
- Allows state to take emergency custody for gender-affirming care.
- Bars enforcement of out-of-state subpoenas related to gender-affirming treatment.
- Conversion Therapy Ban
- Prohibits conversion therapy for minors and vulnerable adults.
- Enforces penalties for violations.
- Take Pride Act
- Prohibits non-religious nonprofits from discriminating against LGBTQ employees.
- Protected Classes
- Removes language excluding pedophilia as a protected class.
- Adds gender identity and sexual orientation to protected classes.
- Marijuana Legalization Bill
- Legalizes possession of up to two pounds of marijuana at home.
- Establishes the Office of Cannabis Management.
- Imposes a 10% sales tax on marijuana products.
- Expunges misdemeanor marijuana offenses.
- Creates grants and social equity scores for licenses.
Public Safety
- Driver’s Licenses for All Bill
- Allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses without verifying citizenship.
- Estimated to benefit 80,000 individuals.
- Public Safety Omnibus Bill
- Requires universal background checks for pistol and assault rifle transfers.
- Establishes red flag laws for at-risk individuals.
- Creates a hate speech database.
- Bans no-knock search warrants.
- Establishes the Office of Restorative Practices.
- Kills an amendment restricting sex offenders near daycares.
While this highlights some major legislation, several significant spending bills were approved at the last minute, potentially concealing further provisions. The full impact of these new mandates and taxes remains to be seen.
-The Conservative TAKE Contributor
