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Hello from the State Capitol,
Omnibus bills are straight-up poison to representative government in Minnesota and it's time we call them out for the shady power grab they are.
These bloated monstrosities, hundreds and sometimes thousands of pages crammed with unrelated (or barely related) policies are shoved down legislators' throats in rushed, end-of-session votes. You get one yes or no on the whole pile. No picking winners from losers. No real debate. Just "take it or leave it" under the gun.
Even when they're dressed up as "single-subject" omnibus, like a giant "education" or "health" package, they're still rotten.
They kill real scrutiny, dozens of provisions sneak in without standalone hearings, public testimony, amendments, or recorded committee votes. Stuff that couldn't survive on its own gets buried in the beast, with zero daylight for constituents to see or fight it.
They shred accountability: Vote no? You're smeared as "anti-kids," "anti-safety," or "anti-whatever" the headline provision is, even if the bill's loaded with pork, bad riders, or hidden giveaways. Vote yes? You're owned by every sleazy insertion. Either way, voters can't hold anyone truly responsible.
They hand power to the few: Leadership and lobbyists thrive on this chaos. They logroll favors, trade votes, and quietly slip in special-interest wins that would flop in the open. A policy too toxic or unpopular to pass alone? Just hitch it to the omnibus train.
They trash the process and set dangerous precedents: Committees increasingly dodge votes on individual bills, then jam them into the omnibus anyway. This mocks Minnesota's single-subject rule (Article IV, Section 17 of our Constitution), meant to stop exactly this legislative mischief. Courts have struck down parts of these "Frankenstein's monsters" in recent years, yet the habit persists, eroding transparency, public trust, and the founders' design for open, deliberate lawmaking.
This isn't efficiency, it's corruption by convenience. It hides bad deals, rewards backroom deals, and lets special interests run the show while We the People get left in the dark.
Enough. Demand regular order: narrow, single-subject bills. Full committee hearings. Recorded votes. Time for real review. No more omnibus games, multi-subject or "same-subject." Our constitutional republic deserves better than this rigged circus.
Fight back. Hold your legislators accountable, demand we stop the practice of omnibus bills. I've been vocal against these bills since the day I got sworn into office and I won’t stop now. I will continue to advocate for HD58B and all Minnesotans and demand we start legislating responsibly and stop the practice of omnibus bills. I hope you do too.
In liberty,
Drew
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