(ABC 6 News) — Earlier this week, Iowa State Senator Michael Bousselot proposed the sale of the nine southernmost counties in Minnesota.

Senator Bousselot, a Republican from Ankeny, further discussed the proposed sale with ABC 6 News on Wednesday, saying he was serious about his proposal for the State of Iowa to buy the counties.

From west to east, those counties would include Rock, Nobles, Jackson, Martin, Faribault, Freeborn, Mower, Fillmore, and Houston. Bousselot said he would introduce legislation in the Iowa Senate and House soon.

“This isn’t about politics. It’s about people and the people who live in those counties who really are culturally aligned with Iowa would immediately see lower income taxes, lower sales taxes, lower business taxes, lower property taxes, especially on farm ground. what we would seek to do is, again, make Minnesota, Iowa again,” said Bousselot.

Text of the bill has not appeared yet, but if passed, the offer would then need to be taken up and passed by the Minnesota legislature, and then an Act of Congress. If all that happened, it would make about 180,000 Minnesotans citizens of Iowa.

ABC 6 News reached out to sources in Iowa and Minnesota, including lawmakers, but not many are taking the proposal seriously. Another state senator in Iowa would not comment until the proposal was actually made, and Iowa Democratic leader Jennifer Konfrst called it “not a realistic approach and it’s one to seek headlines, and frankly, it’s an insult to people who are trying to pay their bills.”

One of those Minnesota billpayers, Corinna Compton of Lyle, Minnesota, had this to say about the proposal:

“No, I don’t know. No, I do not think so. Minnesota is very progressive in everything when it comes to politics, Iowa is not progressive.”