ABOVE: Representative Bjorn Olson provides an update from the Capitol at a Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce Bureau 14 meeting on Wednesday evening at Fairmont Brewing Company in Fairmont.

FAIRMONT– Representative Bjorn Olson was the guest speaker at the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce’s Bureau 14 meeting on Wednesday. Olson touched on a number of things including his recent time on active duty in the Middle East, issues in the state including fraud and Minnesota Paid Leave and the upcoming legislative session.

While a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 22A since 2021, Olson is also a Major in the United States Army Reserve. He recently returned home after spending 230 days in the Middle East, the majority of which he spent in Kuwait.

“As I stood watching Iranian missiles flying over my head, being intercepted by Patriot missile defense systems, I came to the realization that we have the honor and privilege of living in the greatest country in the entire world and the greatest force for good in this world,” Olson said.

He made clear that while he’s been asked to run for the open senate seat, which Rich Draheim is not seeking reelection on, he will not be pursuing it, but rather is running unopposed again as a representative.

“Sure I can be a senator, but… would I serve this district any better as a senator? If I got a wig and a cape would I be any better at serving this district and the answer is no. The only person I would be serving is myself,” Olson said.

The upcoming session starts at noon on Tuesday, Feb. 17 and Olson anticipates that some issues will be run into, though he did say that the first day will be dedicated to a memorial for Melissa Hortman, the representative who was assassinated last summer.

“When a representative is assassinated, that makes national news. I was overseas and that made national news,” Olson said.

He called Hortman a “genuinely great person,” and that everyone would be able to talk about great things she did on Tuesday before session actually started.

On that note though, Olson spoke about how often Minnesota has been in the news and said that about eight years ago, the state would go months without making national news.

“And now we’re lucky if we make it four days before the national news starts talking about us. That’s a problem and we’ve got to do something about that,” Olson said.

As for what will be discussed during the upcoming session, Olson said there is a lot of work to be done but that there’s no money for it.

“We are looking at a deficit next year,” he said.

In five years of service, Olson said he’s seen an $18 billion surplus and now a couple billion dollar deficit. He said the February forecast will soon come out which will give a good look at where the state is at.

“The concept of raising taxes on the people of the state Minnesota is a non-starter for us. We can’t do it anymore. I don’t think our state can do it anymore. We’ve seen mass exoduses, especially a border community like we are, we’ve seen people leave. Everyone knows someone who’s in South Dakota or northern Iowa,” Olson said.

Olson spoke about the issues he sees with Minnesota Paid Leave.

“We fought like heck for years to try and stop the Paid Family Medical Leave, or just try to encourage the state that it’s not one size fits all,” Olson said. “One size doesn’t fit all. I think we’re going to see over the next couple of months something happen. Something’s going to break.”

He said he heard recently from Andy Wilke, the executive vice president of Greater Mankato Growth, that 10 percent of the staff at the hospital in Mankato is out on Paid Family Medical Leave.

“This is probably something that we’re all running into. This is probably something we’re going to see. If you have not already experienced it in the first month of this program, you are going to run into it. That is a concern and I am afraid that this fund is going to run out. It will break and then we’re going to have to fix it,” Olson said.

He said it’s expected some abuse is happening with the program, though he said he believes the concept behind it is good but stressed again that it’s not a one size fits all program.

Fraud was also touched on, which Olson called a huge issue in the state. He said, “there is no law that we can pass to make fraud any less legal than it already is.”

Olson reiterated that fraud is already illegal and always has been but the problem is that there’s an administration that has stopped looking for and pursuing it.

“And now we’re seeing billions and billions and billions of our dollars are now being found to have been stolen,” Olson said.

However he said that there are some things that can be done, including obtaining some more oversight at the legislature and creating a new inspector general position, which Minnesota does not have right now.

“Maybe we need an independent individual whose job it is to only answer to the taxpayers of Minnesota,” Olson said.

After he was done speaking, Olson answered some questions from the 20-plus people present. One person asked about what funding was available for the Fairmont Opera House.

Olson, a member of the Legacy Finance committee, shared frustration with the way that funds were distributed through the Minnesota Historical Society.

“I will be having words with the executive director of the Minnesota Historical Society. I’m a history teacher, it’s what I do. I’m unhappy. We’ll be having words,” Olson said.

He also received a question about the end of Minnesota Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare coverage of chiropractor care for adults. Olson encouraged that he be contacted about it to further look into and address the matter.

Wednesday’s Bureau 14 meeting was the first to be held at Fairmont Brewing Company, which is a new Chamber member and food was brought in by Jake’s Pizza.