Legislators working to complete bills in committee

It has been a very active couple of weeks at the Capitol, working to complete the policy and budget bills in committee. It was nice to get your emails and calls giving your input. I also had the opportunity to meet with several groups and hear directly from Minnesotans about the issues that matter most.
I met with Semac, Faith in Minnesota and carpenter and operating engineer constituents. From budget priorities to improving transparency in government, your feedback continues to shape the work we do here in Saint Paul.
I’m excited to share some important updates from the House, including historic progress on the state budget, bipartisan committee work, and a critical review of our adult guardianship system.
Budget reductions that prioritize Minnesotans needs first
This session, the Minnesota House has released budget targets that represent the largest reduction to a budget deficit in state history. Our budget trims $3.9 billion compared to the bloated 2024-25 budget and cuts $1.159 billion below the base for 2026-27. Even more importantly, in the “tails” (2028-29), we take a major step toward closing the $6 billion deficit Democrats created—cutting $2.608 billion and slashing the shortfall to just $2.226 billion.
We held firm on keeping the Education target level—not only protecting schools from cuts proposed by the Governor and Senate DFL, but also ensuring districts have stability. Despite Democrats’ claims of “fully funding” education, their 65+ unfunded mandates have wreaked havoc on school budgets statewide.
Meanwhile, they continue pushing plans to cut teacher quality compensation (Q-Comp) and special education support. Our budget targets preserve essential funding for schools while putting us in a stronger position to prevent future mandates and begin rolling back the burdens already in place.
We also forced Democrats to agree to budget savings in the event federal funding is withdrawn for projects like the Duluth Train, Blue Line, or Northstar. While over $250 million in potential savings isn’t yet reflected in the current targets, these dollars could help us reduce the deficit even further in 2028-29—by another quarter of a billion dollars.
On top of that, we secured a $17 million increase for agriculture—a much-needed investment after years of neglect under one-party Democrat control. With challenges like avian flu continuing to impact producers, this funding will help sustain Minnesota’s farming communities.
If there’s anything you believe should be cut from the state budget, I want to hear from you. The best way to responsibly reduce government spending is to ask Minnesotans directly: what programs do you think your hard-earned dollars should not be spent on? Your voice matters—reach out to my office and be part of the solution.
Bipartisan efforts for policy bills
As we work to rein in government spending and refocus state priorities, we’re also seeing encouraging progress in committee. My committees have begun moving forward with single-subject omnibus bills in areas like Elections and Local Government—a welcome change from the bloated, partisan packages we’ve seen over the past two years.
This shift is already paying off. Bipartisan agreement has been far more common, and for good reason. By keeping these omnibus bills focused on a single policy area, negotiations have become more straightforward, and lawmakers can have genuine, good-faith discussions without being forced to swallow unrelated provisions that don’t belong in the same bill.
It’s a major improvement from the dysfunction we witnessed under the DFL trifecta, where controversial policy items were buried inside massive bills—making it difficult, if not impossible, for members to support legislation that otherwise had broad support. We’re hopeful this more transparent, focused approach will lead to better lawmaking and better outcomes for Minnesotans.
 
Duane Quam represents District 24A in the Minnesota House of Representatives.