State Representative Kristin Bahner

31/05/2026

Darn straight! We get the work done. Happy Saturday Maple Grove!

28/05/2026

Fighting fraud was a top priority this session. We took decisive action to strengthen oversight, modernize enforcement tools, and hold bad actors accountable.

I am proud to be the chief author of the Grants Management Package to prevent fraud, improve process and oversight, protect whistleblowers, share information across agencies & state programs for convicted fraud, and stop payments on "credible allegations" of fraud in their tracks, before tax money goes out the door.

All of this legislation puts more tools in the tool-belt to prevent fraud, while holding fraudsters accountable.

All of these anti-fraud strategies ensure that taxpayer dollars reach the people and communities they are meant to serve, and Minnesotans can trust their government.

28/05/2026

28/05/2026

Thank you Governor Walz for signing our pension update. And thank you SPFE members for doing the work to make this change possible!

28/05/2026

My bill on Grants Oversight and Fraud Prevention has been signed into law by the Governor! It improves grant oversight and process, enhances whistleblower protections, allows programs to share information on an individual or entity convicted of fraud with other state agencies and allows permanent withholding when there is a credible allegation of fraud while an investigation is conducted. Thank you to State Representative Ginny Klevorn of Plymouth for her support and driving this bill to the finish line with me, as well as the final provision of the bill came from her hard work.

27/05/2026

A gentle reminder to refresh on where our surplus dollars went, perhaps you see those investments reflect in the tax cut or child tax credits, standing up Paid Family Medical Leave to bond with a new baby (Maple Grove's North Memorial is a top destination for having a baby), feeding kiddos lunch (so many moms and dads I spoke to said no more late night runs to pack the lunch was a favorite), investments in schools for special education and expanding funds for all kids, social security tax cuts for elders, and we did it all while fully stocking all of our reserve funds for emergencies and a rainey day and kept some on the bottom line just in case. Local projects in bonding went to projects that impact you on the 169 corridor, water treatment plants around us and lead pipe removal projects near our neighbors and across the state. Our solid financial position is often the envy of our neighboring states with the highest bond rating saving MN loads of cash on critical infrastructure projects (think of this as getting the best possible rate on that home loan you had to take out for new windows, siding or a new roof - necessary but we get their best lowest interest rates). While we know those investments made a significant difference most were one time items to set MN and our neighbors up for the future and they worked. But what that means is our current budget is based on the basics not the one time unexpected surplus and that matters because just like you our budget needs to be tight, hard cuts were made to balance and cut back just like all of our neighbors. This year the supplement budget had heavy emphasis on the absolute necessity items, filling critical gaps for citizens, and bonding which balanced critical projects like water treatment, badly needed essential infrastructure, roads, bridges and highways.

27/05/2026

Did you know the electoral collage has overrode the choice of 80% of American voters several times in our history? MN is on of the states in the national compact that triggers when enough states join to total 270 electoral votes. While that threshold has not yet been met it could be within the next election. In short, the compact creates a more equal playing field and giving more voice to individual voters.

27/05/2026

We often talk about sexual violence in the abstract but the numbers are compelling. In MN, a small but mighty group have been carefully examining our MN laws to close gap, shutdown loopholes that allow these statistics to persist and reexamine how we better educate young men and women, while we firm up protections for survivors of violence. We do it because generations of trauma don't need to perpetuate a world where women are more weary of the men in their lives than a wild animal. We can support survivors and prevent it through good policy.