As I'm sure many remember, Democrats passed a bill that created an Ethnic Studies Working Group that is responsible for coming up with an Ethnic Studies curriculum for Minnesota students. Their proposed standards are meant to be shared with the public for a period of public input. Unfortunately their standards were supposed to be released in July and the public input period was supposed to happen throughout August. Neither have happened yet. I'm concerned that this Working Group will run out the clock and will not allow for an adequate time period for receiving public input. That's incredibly ..read more

The legislature recently passed a bill that puts a question regarding the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) on the 2024 ballot: “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to protect drinking water sources and the water quality of lakes, rivers, and streams; conserve wildlife habitat and natural areas; improve air quality; and expand access to parks and trails by extending the transfer of proceeds from the state-operated lottery to the environment and natural resources trust fund, and to dedicate the proceeds for these purposes?” Though I agree with the sentiment behind t ..read more

An issue that has been percolating for quite some time is that of the Electoral College, and Minnesota's involvement. Democrats in Minnesota recently passed a bill that would tie Minnesota's electoral votes to the Popular Vote around the country, completely undermining the purpose of the Electoral College. When you take a step back and examine how that process works, that means we are limiting Minnesota's voice in elections. It allows states like California and New York to dictate how our state's votes are cast for President. Our Founding Fathers instituted the Electoral College to provide an ..read more

Issues with Fraud, Waste, and Abuse continue to pop up under the Walz Administration. The newest cases involve Autism Centers and Medicaid fraud in the Faribault area. Though the numbers for the Autism Centers fraud have not been unveiled, our state has now had over half a billion in fraud under Governor Walz and his administration. And that is only the fraud we KNOW of. The most alarming issue at hand is that we can pinpoint the agencies that have had fraud occur, and no one is being held accountable. This is all at the taxpayer's expense. We have to do better with the people's money. There i ..read more

As the school year is approaching, I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone about the impacts that have come down on our schools over the last two years. Democrats have touted "historic" education funding, but unfortunately, most of that funding is being eaten up by all the new mandates that were also passed. In fact, many of our schools are worried about the long-term implications on their budgets. Our smaller school districts have been overwhelmed by the new mandates and requirements, and many are fearful they won't be following state statute because they don't have the time to catch eve ..read more

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Democrats have repeatedly touted "record funding" for schools. Unfortunately higher funding has not led to better student performance - dollars do not make the overall difference. There are so many disparities that make it challenging for our schools to understand what funding and resources are available. Many schools do not have the time and manpower As we head into the next legislative session, there are a few priorities I think we should address: simplifying the process for schools to access resources, pushing for equitable funding for schools throughout the state, and ensuring that any edu ..read more

The application deadline is November 1, and interested parties can find out more and apply here: https://www.senate.mn/departments/secretary/info/interns/index.php Subscribe to Sen. Rarick's newsletter: https://www.senate.mn/senatorraricknewsletter Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorRarick MNSRC website: https://www.mnsenaterepublicans.com/ Follow MNSRC on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mnsrc ..read more

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