Energy and education top American Experiment’s legislative priority list for the 2026 session. With the legislature so closely divided and Democrats enjoying a 101-100 majority in the combined House and Senate, it’s not likely anything will pass this year. But that’s never stopped us from advocating for policies that will make Minnesota a freer and more prosperous state. Here are two of our top policy initiatives:
Nuke the mandate, free the nukes!
American Experiment launched a very aggressive grassroots campaign this week to urge the legislature to repeal Minnesota’s Renewable Energy Standard (RES) and end the moratorium on expanding nuclear energy in the state. The campaign, titled “Nuke the mandate, free the nukes” features billboards, TV ads (during the high school hockey and basketball tournaments), radio and podcast advertising, and social media promotion.
The TV ad focuses on the fact that Minnesota is just one of nine states to ban the expansion of nuclear power, the cleanest form of energy.
In the 2023 legislative session, Gov. Tim Walz signed a Renewable Energy Standard requiring 100% of our energy to come from renewable sources such as wind and solar by the year 2040. This mandate is driving up the cost of electricity for all Minnesota homeowners and businesses, making the state less affordable.
The time has come to lift the moratorium on nuclear energy so our power companies can begin planning new nuclear facilities. Other states (and countries) are leaving us behind as they develop exciting new nuclear technologies that are safe, reliable, and have no carbon emissions.
A 2025 national Energy Affordability Report ranked Minnesota 36th in electricity prices and warned “the state’s increasing reliance on wind and solar — driven by policy mandates — has added significant costs.”
For more information on the campaign, visit www.freethenukes.com.
Operation Opt-In
The House Education Committee scheduled a hearing Tuesday on a bill allowing Minnesota scholarship granting organizations to participate in the new education federal tax credit. American Experiment’s Catrin Wigfall will be there to offer testimony in support of the bill. Congress has given Gov. Tim Walz and the legislature the opportunity to authorize scholarship-granting organizations in Minnesota to grant scholarships to students in public schools, non-public schools, and homeschools. The program is funded with a $1,700 federal tax credit and will have no impact on the state budget. The scholarships could benefit students in every learning environment in Minnesota! It’s a win-win for families and taxpayers.
But Gov. Walz must opt in so families can take advantage of the program. The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) was part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed by Congress this summer. Here’s how it works:
Before the hearing on Tuesday, American Experiment will deliver a petition to Gov. Walz signed by 4,617 Minnesotans urging him to opt-in to the federal tax credit program, so Minnesota kids stuck in his failing schools can receive a lifeline to a better education. There are petition signers in every single senate district in Minnesota.
It would be very cynical and mean-spirited to not allow Minnesota nonprofits to take advantage of the tax credit and provide scholarships to families in struggling schools. But cynical and mean-spirited are adjectives we’ve used to describe Walz before.
At his core, Tim Walz is a union teacher. And the teachers’ union that helped get him elected and reelected would never condone an expansion of parental choice in Minnesota, even if it didn’t involve state money. What if choice worked? What if parental choice became popular? What if parents demanded choice from the Minnesota legislature? That would be the education cartel’s worst nightmare.
That’s why advocates are turning to the legislature to pass a tax credit bill this week. Perhaps if the bill is passed and sent to Walz’s desk he will feel more pressure to opt in. Don’t hold your breath.
Check out our Operation Opt-In campaign here.
$7k for Kids
The second school choice initiative is our $7k for Kids plan that creates a $7,000 Education Savings Account (ESA) for every student who chooses to opt out of Minnesota’s failing K-12 education system. A hearing on that bill is scheduled for April 14, 2026. American Experiment and Opportunity for All Kids (OAK) will host a rally at the capitol that day. Save the date!
For more information, click here.
