Aaron Repinski and the Mysterious Missing Session

You can tell what values people really hold by watching what they do when they think no one is watching. Rep. Aaron Repinski recently showed his true colors during the illegal Minnesota House of Representatives session, when, in the absence of DFL legislators, he signed on to extreme MAGA bills having to do with the safety of children. Those bills have since been made to disappear–but not entirely!

Mistakenly believing they held a quorum, GOP members named committee chairs, held an election for Speaker, and introduced scores of bills demonstrating allegiance to MAGA goals. Once the Minnesota Supreme Court decreed that the quorum required 68 members, the Republicans stood in violation of the state Constitution; they quickly deleted their bills from the official House website. However, the Winona County DFL has acquired copies of the proposed bills–and these copies provide a telling glimpse of what GOP House members, including Winona’s State Representative Aaron Repinski, do when no one’s looking. 

During his campaign, Aaron Repinski took pains to position himself as a moderate, someone who would listen to everyone and make common-sense decisions in St. Paul. But the MAGA bills he signed on to during the illegal session show otherwise. Perhaps the most extreme one was H.F. 101, which would have allocated money from the general fund to provide firearms to teachers, staff persons, and other designated persons working in schools. Repinski signed on to this bill on Jan. 22, along with Rep. Duane Quam (24A) of Byron and Rep. Peggy Scott (31B) of Andover.

Another bill Repinski signed was H.F. 303, which would have allowed “the presence of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in safety-related items and clothing used by juveniles operating all-terrain vehicles or dirt bikes.”

The “Ripper” talks a good game about being a common-sense legislator, but when no one is looking, he proposes extreme bills that could put children at risk. Let the “Ripper” know you are not okay with guns in schools and dangerous chemicals in children’s sports.