LEGISLATIVE SESSION REVIEW
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Looking back on the 2024 legislative session, what legislation will have a significant impact on the Rochester area business community? The cost of doing business in Minnesota is growing out of control, and Democrats Sen. Steve Drazkowski DISTRICT 20
Rep. Steve Jacob DISTRICT 20B
Looking back on the 2024 legislative session, what legislation will have a significant impact on the Rochester area business community? One notable part of the 1400 page Mega Omnibus bill was SF 4699. This section of the
are simply adding to the burden. The little guys who run small businesses throughout the state are now going to be buried under administrative regulations, red tape, and higher taxes to pay for the extreme agenda Democrats have pursued. They will be paying for thousands of new employees at the state while struggling to make their own payrolls and grow their own businesses. It’s just fundamentally wrong. Now there is a massive rulemaking underway for home daycares so intrusive it threatens the existence of home daycares. It’s hard to see it as anything but snuffing out home daycares in favor of more government run programs. What is a major takeaway from the 2024 session? Single party control has been terrible for Minnesota. Democrats forced more red tape and mandates onto businesses, schools, and local governments – all of which will lead to higher costs for Minnesotans. With all the strings attached to state funding, local governments and schools will be forced to raise property taxes on Minnesotans – adding to the $10 billion of tax increases passed by the state. Democrats were intent on their extreme agenda no matter what. They had little interest in working across the aisle, and no one to stop them. Session ended with Democrats jamming 1400 pages of legislation through the Legislature with no debate, no review, and no check because they could. Their obsession with their own political power is leaving Minnesotans behind.
bill will impact area businesses by increasing the number of insurance mandates which will drive up the cost of health care once again. Minnesota already ranks among the top states with the most amount of insurance coverage mandates. Also: HF 5363 adopted in the Mega Omnibus bill doesn’t make the substantive changes needed to address the operational problems the Paid Family Medical Leave program will face. Nothing in the bill provides meaningful relief. The biggest problem facing our local businesses that resulted from the 2024 session was the lack of any meaningful relief from taxes and burdensome regulations. What is a major takeaway from the 2024 session? 2023 was marked by a very clear focus and agenda from the Democrat party, while 2024 was filled with chaos and disorganization from the Democrats, partly stemming from the development of Democrat Nicole Mitchell being arrested on first degree burglary charges. Those charges greatly complicated issues for Democrats since they only held a razor thin one vote majority. With Democrats full control of the House, the Senate and the Governor’s office, they spent through the entire 18 billion dollar surplus and raised taxes by another 10 billion dollars, growing government by 40%. Even with full control, Democrats failed to deliver on the promise to give $2000 refund checks or to end the tax on social security. The final hours of the 2024 session resulted in Democrats combining massive bills into one enormous 1400 page bill. Through this approach, the Democrat party succeeded in hiding the language of the bill from the public and the members expected to vote on it.
AUGUST 2024 — ROCHESTER AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ADVANTAGE MAGAZINE | 17
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