2025 LEGISLATIVE PREVIEW
Feature
Sen. Steve Drazkowski
DISTRICT 20
What do you foresee as the most pressing issue impacting the Rochester area business community that can be addressed in the 2025 legislative session? The biggest threat to southeast Minnesota’s business community – and frankly, the entire state – is the affordability crisis caused by misguided mandates and reckless policies. The Democrats’ overreaching earned sick and paid leave mandates are a textbook example of how “big government” thinking crushes small businesses under needless costs and rigid, one-size-fits-all policies. These mandates strip away flexibility and ignore the reality that local businesses already tailor their benefits to meet the unique needs of their employees and their businesses.
The Democrats’ approach has left business owners paying a steep price. These businesses are the backbone of our local economy, but ongoing mandates, compliance fines, and an even heavier tax burden are causing many to struggle just to survive. This heavy-handed government interference kills the freedom and flexibility that businesses need to succeed. As always, I’ll fight to pull back the heavy hand of government. We need to make it far easier to run a business in Minnesota. We must free entrepreneurs from these costly mandates and let them do what they do best: create jobs, support families, and drive growth. They are the engine of our economy, and it’s time the state stops getting in their way. What are your expectations for the 2025 legislative session? Are there any proposed bills or potential legislation that the business community should be aware of? 2025 is a budget year, so constructing the new state budget will be job one. We must not repeat the mistakes Democrats made two years ago. Their reckless spending spree ballooned state spending by an unsustainable 40%, and billions in tax hikes continue to make life harder for every small business and every Minnesotan. This fiscal irresponsibility needs to stop. Businesses and taxpayers deserve a budget that respects their work and their hard-earned dollars – not one that treats them like an endless piggy bank for government. What are your top priorities for the 2025 legislative session? My top priorities are straightforward: protect small businesses and their employees, return to smart and responsible budgeting, and make Minnesota affordable for everyone. Business owners need stability and predictability. They can’t afford the unpredictable costs, fees, and regulations that come with the Democrats’ tax-and-spend policies.
We should aim to cut waste, stop fraud, and focus on the essentials. And absolutely no more tax increases. On the contrary, we should be looking for ways to cut taxes for Minnesota’s small businesses and workers wherever we can.
Our budget should encourage growth and investment. We should eliminate the red tape and heavy taxes that make it hard to run a business here. If we want a strong economy, we have to start by empowering those who make it possible – the small business owners who invest in our communities, create jobs, and keep Minnesota moving forward.
We’ve got to bring fiscal sanity back to Minnesota and stop the government meddling that’s making it impossible for businesses to thrive. Small business owners know what works for their operations far better than bureaucrats do.
14 | ROCHESTER AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ADVANTAGE MAGAZINE — DECEMBER 2024
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