With session over, two west central Minnesota Republican legislators warn what is to come

Jun. 3—GRANITE FALLS

— Two area Republican legislators wrapped up their assessment of the just completed 2023 Minnesota legislative session with a warning.

"Next year will be as bad as this year," said State Senator Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls. His comment came as he expressed concerns that what he termed potentially bad policies — i.e., medically-assisted suicide — could be on the DFL agenda next session.

Dahms and State Representative Chris Swedzinksi, R-Ghent, offered a session wrap-up on June 1 in Granite Falls. It was part of a day-long series of meetings they held in District 15A, which includes Yellow Medicine and Lac qui Parle counties.

"We're fast approaching California- and Chicago-style politics in Minnesota," Swedzinski said while voicing his own disappointment about the session. His comment came after discussing the new law allowing recreational marijuana. Swedzinski alleges that the law includes a pecking order for awarding licenses to sell cannabis that gives preference to vendors with union labor agreements.

The DFL controls the Governor's office, House and Senate. Dahms and Swedzinksi believe that the DFL went too far in taking advantage of its majority status by increasing spending levels and adopting what they termed "St. Paul knows best" polices that erode local control.

Not surprisingly, the legislation calling for the transfer of the Upper Sioux Agency State Park south of Granite Falls was among the topics raised at the session. Granite Falls Mayor David Smiglewski raised his concerns that the transfer of the park represents a loss to the area, and that it is creating divisions that will take a long time to heal.

Dahms said he believes the decision to transfer the park at no cost to the Upper Sioux Community was made the day after the election in which the DFL secured its majority hold. He said the Minnesota Historical Society knew nothing of the possible transfer until he and Swedzinski informed its leadership.

"They, like the rest of us, had heard many times that they (Upper Sioux community) would like to have the park," Dahms said. "But, liking to have something and actually getting the process going and done without local legislators even knowing about it, or the mayor of the local community or county board ... When we got involved, the train had already left the station, unfortunately."

Swedzinski said public engagement has only been offered now "after all the decisions have been made."

He and Dahms expressed doubts that the $5 million allocated for new recreational lands will come anywhere close to replacing the value of a nearly 1,400-acre, operating state park.

Fiscal concerns topped the legislators' agenda.

Swedzinski expressed frustration that the DFL did not end the state's tax on social security income for all seniors. New legislation provides relief for 75% of the recipients, but higher-income seniors, or roughly 350,000 taxpayers, will not be exempt.

He also charged that the new energy and paid family and medical leave laws will prove costly for Minnesotans. He said the average family will see its annual costs for electricity rise by $1,600 in the bills "that come to the door." According to Swedzinski, the average family can expect to pay $4,600 more a year as higher energy costs increase costs for all goods and services.

Dahms, a 13-year veteran of the legislature, said he's never seen a session where so many spending allocations were included in bills. He expects more to come, and said the legislature could be dealing with a deficit after this coming biennium.

According to Dahms, the new budget approved this session represents a 40% increase in spending for the biennium.

He said the legislature went into session with what was actually a $19 billion surplus. The DFL argued for an "inflationary sensitive" fiscal projection that called it a $17.5 billion surplus. That, he charged, allowed the DFL to spend $1.5 billion "without the public seeing what they were doing," he said.

While upset at how things went, both Dahms and Swedzinski said there was legislation approved that should benefit their rural districts.

The legislature increased funding for local government aid and county program aid. The legislature also included small municipalities and townships in the formula for sharing road and bridge funding.

New legislation will also make available more grants and other revenues for nursing homes to help see them through what remain difficult times, they said. Dahms noted that he has seen three nursing homes close in his district.