Friends,

This past Sunday marked the end of the 2026 legislative session, and I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish for Minnesota families, taxpayers, students, and local communities.

Working in a Tied House

This was the second year of the biennium, and once again, we were working in a tied House. That made the process frustrating at times. With a 67-67 split, no one was going to get everything they wanted, and every meaningful bill needed bipartisan support to pass.

Still, I didn’t come to St. Paul to waste time on ideas that might sound good in a press release but had no real path to becoming law. I came here to do the work my constituents sent me to do. That meant staying focused, finding areas of agreement where we could, and delivering results that would actually help the people I represent. That’s what our communities deserve.

Fighting Fraud and Protecting Taxpayers

One of our top priorities was fighting fraud and protecting taxpayer dollars. This session, we passed several important reforms, including:

• Creating an independent statewide Office of Inspector General to investigate fraud across state government, strengthen oversight, provide real investigative authority, and improve coordination across agencies.
• Passing stronger tools to recover stolen taxpayer dollars, so the state has a better ability to go after money that was taken through fraud.
• Establishing a 100% tax penalty on money obtained through fraudulent schemes, making clear that fraudsters should not be allowed to profit from stolen taxpayer dollars.
• Increasing oversight and reporting requirements for state programs, giving the Legislature and the public better information about how taxpayer dollars are being used.
• Locking in Medicaid work requirements to conform with federal law, which will strengthen accountability, encourage workforce participation, create long-term savings, and help protect these programs for the Minnesotans who truly need them.

Modernizing Government Systems

Another important win was technology modernization. Outdated government systems make it harder to verify eligibility, prevent fraud, and deliver services efficiently. These investments will help counties save money, improve service, ease pressure on property taxpayers, and make sure benefits go to those who actually qualify.

Making Minnesota More Affordable

We all know affordability is a huge issue. House Republicans secured $125 million in property tax relief, $250 million in car tab fee reductions, and an end to the Ballpark tax. We also approved tax conformity connected to the federal statute, including an extension of the pass-through entity tax provision, which provides significant relief for Minnesota businesses at zero cost to the state.

Protecting Every Student in Every School

School safety was a major priority for me personally. As a principal, I approached this work with three things in mind: it needed to be effective in addressing real safety concerns, it needed to have a path to actually pass, and it needed to protect ALL students in ALL schools.

That last point took some work. I believe strongly that a student’s safety should not depend on whether they attend a public, nonpublic, or Tribal school. Every student deserves to be protected, and I’m glad we were able to secure a school safety package that reflects that.

This session, we secured $5 million for anonymous threat reporting systems, $12.5 million for school-linked behavioral health grants, and $3.8 million for mobile crisis grants. These resources are available to public, nonpublic, and Tribal schools because protecting students should be the priority, no matter where they learn.

We also advanced legislation to criminalize grooming and update maltreatment of minors reporting systems to help identify and stop grooming in schools and other settings involving minors and students.

These are good provisions, and I’m glad they passed. But I also want to be honest: I’m not satisfied with where we ended. There was a lot left on the table, especially when it comes to the physical security side of school safety. Schools still need more support for building security, emergency planning, threat response, and the practical tools that help keep students, teachers, and staff safe every day. This work cannot stop here.

One of the best parts of serving in the Legislature has been the people I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside over the years. As this chapter comes to a close, I’m incredibly grateful for the friendships, conversations, and partnerships that made this work meaningful.

Serving our communities at the Capitol has been an honor. From fighting for students, teachers, and workforce development opportunities to working on policies that strengthen our schools and local communities, I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish together.

I also want to thank everyone back home who took the time to reach out, attend meetings, share concerns, and stay engaged throughout the process. Public service works best when people stay involved, and I’ve always appreciated hearing directly from the people I represent.

These photos capture just a few moments from my final session at the Capitol. I’m thankful for the experience, proud of the work we did, and excited for what’s ahead for Minnesota.

Looking Ahead

There is always more work ahead, and I won’t pretend we accomplished everything I would’ve liked to see done. But in a tied House, the progress we made was important. This session, we were able to deliver real results on fraud prevention, affordability, government efficiency, and school safety.

Thank you to everyone who reached out this session, shared your concerns, asked questions, or offered feedback. I really appreciated hearing from you. Those conversations, whether they happened over email, at a community event, in a school hallway, or around town, helped me stay focused on what truly matters to the people I have the honor of representing in St. Paul.

Have a great weekend! 

Please Contact Me

Please continue to reach out if I can be of any assistance to you. You can reach me by phone at 651-296-5185 or by email at rep.ben.bakeberg@house.mn.gov.