Harris VP Walz as Minnesota governor last year signed into law flurry of progressive bills

Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential running-mate Minnesota Democrat Gov. Tim Walz last year signed into law a string of progressive bills across an array of policy issues.

As Harris narrowed her choice for a running mate, Walz emerged as the favorite of their Democratic Party's progressive wing, due in part to his legislative record.

Harris officially announced Walz on Tuesday as her pick for vice president, and the pair appeared at a rally in Philadelphia that evening at which Harris touted Walz’s credentials.

Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, said Harris “bent the knee to the far left of her party” in choosing Walz.

After Harris' announcement, Walz’s progressive record came to the forefront particularly his abortion stance that resulted in at least five infants “born alive” in 2021 as a result of failed abortions. None of the infants received life-saving care.

A review of Walz’s overall legislative record last year showing the array of left-wing policies he signed into law prompted NBC News to call the state a “laboratory in pushing progressive policy.”

After Walz was reelected as governor in 2022, a Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote the headline: “Minnesota Democrats rapidly advance the most progressive agenda in a generation.”

Here is a look at some of the keynote measures:

LGBTQ issues

In April 2023, Walz signed legislation protecting access to gender-affirming care in Minnesota and barring state officials from complying with extraditions, child removals, or subpoenas connected to the receipt of such treatment within the state.

The so-called “trans refuge bill,” the legislation largely sought to shield travelers to the state who arrive to receive such treatment from repercussions should they come from a state in which the practice is not permitted.

A total of 26 states have enacted a ban on gender-related surgeries for minors while 24 of those have also banned a broader array of gender treatments, according to the pro-LGBT Movement Advancement Project. In neighboring North Dakota, it is a felony to provide certain gender treatments to minors.

Walz last years also signed the Take Pride Act, which removed exemptions for non-religious organizations to maintain certain sex-based distinctions in hiring practices. Critics had argued that the legislation could result in sex-based organizations being required to place persons of the opposite gender in sex-specific mentorship roles.

Abortion up until birth

In January 2023, Walz signed legislation establishing a right to reproductive health care, including abortion with essentially no restrictions. The Protect Reproduction Options Act states that “[e]very individual has a fundamental right to make autonomous decisions about the individual's own reproductive health, including the fundamental right to use or refuse reproductive health care.”

“Every individual who becomes pregnant has a fundamental right to continue the pregnancy and give birth, or obtain an abortion, and to make autonomous decisions about how to exercise this fundamental right,” it adds, with no gestational limit.

In April, Walz expanded on the state’s abortion legislation, signing the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act. The bill made the state an abortion sanctuary, providing legal shielding to travelers who came to the state to obtain an abortion, should they face consequences from their home state where such practices may be illegal.

The bill prohibits state officials from cooperating with subpoenas, extraditions, and other actions from other states related to the receipt of an abortion within Minnesota.

Environmental policy

In February 2023, Walz signed a bill aimed at transitioning the state entirely to clean energy by 2040. The environmental plan set utilities standards for the transition and aims to promote the development of clean energy production facilities in the same communities wherein companies closed traditional fossil-fuel-based plants.

Republicans had labeled the legislation a “blackout bill,” contending that the plan would substantially increase the costs of basic utilities to Minnesota families, according to the Minnesota Reformer. 

In May, Walz signed a $2 billion spending package for issues affecting the environment, natural resources, climate, and energy. Apart from spending on environmental protection projects, the measure also included $2,500 rebates to purchase new electric vehicles and $600 rebates for used ones. It further included multi-million dollar grants for the installation of solar panels and electric appliances.

Education

Minnesota's 2023 education omnibus bill included an array of progressive priority items including the requirement that schools offer an ethnic studies course addressing racism and the provision of free menstrual products in school bathrooms, including those facilities designated for use by boys.

The measure resulted in ridicule by critics who called the governor “Tampon Tim,” according to The Hill newspaper. The legislation also replaced Columbus Day with "Indigenous Peoples’ Day."

Walz, in March 2023, signed a bill providing free school breakfast and lunch in Minnesota.

“As a former teacher, I know that providing free breakfast and lunch for our students is one of the best investments we can make to lower costs, support Minnesota’s working families, and care for our young learners and the future of our state,” he said at the time.

During the Philadelphia rally, Harris drew attention to the school lunch’s bill, asserting that Walz “refused, as governor, to allow any student in their public schools to go hungry. So he made school breakfast and lunch free for every child.”

At least eight states now provide free school meals to all students, regardless of income and several others have proposed legislation to also do so.

Elections: adding felons to voter rolls

Among the keynote election changes Walz enacted was the Democracy for the People Act, which he signed in May 2023. The law was designed to bolster voter turnout and included the implementation of automatic voter registration for qualified Minnesotans.

It also included the designation of “language minority districts” in which 3% or more of the residents of an area speak English “less than very well.” In such districts, the state must provide translated ballot samples and voting instructions to that district. The bill also provides for the deployment of interpreters in some instances.

In March 2023, Walz signed legislation permitting those with felony convictions to vote after the completion of their jail time. The legislation was estimated to impact more than 55,000 Minnesotans.

“Minnesotans who have completed time for their offenses and are living, working, and raising families in their communities deserve the right to vote," he said at the time. "As a state that consistently ranks among the top three in voter turnout, Minnesota will continue to lead in the fight to protect and expand the right to vote.”

Marijuana legalization

The state legalized recreational cannabis use for persons aged 21 and up in 2023, establishing the Office of Cannabis Management to regulate the drug. The legislation took effect in August of that year and also expunged the records of Minnesotans who had previously been convicted for possession, the Associated Press reported.

Driver’s licenses, even for illegals

Walz also signed a “Driver’s Licenses for All” bill in March of 2023, permitting people living in the state to secure driver’s licenses without showing legal presence, the Associated Press reported. They must still show they live in Minnesota, provide documentation of their identity, and pass the written test and road exam. The measure took effect Oct. 1 and was estimated to impact roughly 81,000 people.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X.