“…sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” –Genesis 4:7

Friends,

Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, have been murdered allegedly at the hands of a man impersonating a police officer. And Sen. John Hoffman, along with his wife Yvette, are in the hospital, likely because of the ungodly hatred of the same person.

This is reprehensible, tragic, and sobering. We grieve and pray alongside of the families, friends, and communities affected by this. And we all struggle to make sense of this tragedy.

Representative Hortman was an amazingly capable and shrewd leader who also had a good sense of humor and tremendous command of her caucus. I honor her for her service and skill, as do members on both sides of the aisle. Today, our hearts break especially for Mark and Melissa’s two children.

Minnesota Family Council engaged in many issues of public policy in the 2025 Legislation Session. The session officially came to a close in the early morning hours of June 10 as legislators passed final budget bills in the one-day special session. Here is a brief summary of issues we were tracking and watching for at the end of legislative session:

No so-called "Equal Rights Amendment" (ERA) in 2025

The ERA failed to pass even out of committee in its single hearing in the 2025 legislative session. The ERA is a proposed state constitutional amendment which would give constitutional protection to abortion and so-called "gender identity," with no protections for religious freedom. Minnesota Family Council has been strongly opposed to this legislation for multiple legislative sessions, especially in 2024 when the legislation had more momentum and even passed the Minnesota House. Read more about our analysis of this issue in this National Review article written by Renee Carlson and Rebecca Delahunt: "In Minnesota, Push for ERA Threatens Freedoms, Equality."

Watch our 2025 testimony in committee by Renee Carlson, General Counsel of True North Legal, and testimony by Rebecca Delahunt, Director of Public Policy.

Minnesota's 2025 Legislative Session

The deadline for Minnesota's legislative session arrived on Monday, May 19, with much budget work remaining for the Minnesota legislature. Legislators have spent this week negotiating policy and budget priorities after receiving the joint budget agreement from leaders of the House of Representatives, the State Senate, and the Governor's office last Thursday, May 15. 

From Rebecca Delahunt, Director of Public Policy

End of Session (for now) Next Week!

Governor Walz, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth, and Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman released their negotiated budget for the next biennium on Thursday, May 15. Since the House of Representatives has split power (67 Republicans and 67 Democrats) with Speaker Lisa Demuth (R) leading the chamber, leaders from both parties needed to agree on proposals to pass a state budget.

Now legislators must wrap up legislative business by 11:59pm Sunday, May 18, 2025, or go into a special session. From credible reports, we are expecting this weekend to be a busy time for legislators as policy proposals are negotiated and passed quickly. It is likely that the legislature will need to return for a short special session, but this will likely just be to wrap up any remaining business.