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Minnesota House of Representatives

State Representative Matt Dean

301 State Office BuildingState Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3018

For more information contact: Austin Bleess 651-296-5529

Posted: 2008-05-22 00:00:00
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NEWS COLUMN

2008 Session In Review

This past weekend, a bipartisan agreement was reached between Governor Tim Pawlenty and legislative leaders on a plan to balance the state budget without raising taxes while providing significant tax relief for Minnesotans. The agreement erases a projected $935 million deficit and includes a property tax cap and tax relief for veterans and military members.

I supported the Tax bill, which passed with strong bipartisan support and protects homeowners from rapidly increasing property taxes by capping cities and counties to an increase of 3.9 percent per year.

There is also important tax relief for veterans and members of the military, including a new tax credit of up to $750 per person annually for those who served more than 20 years or were disabled in service, a doubling of the existing overseas deployment tax credit to $120 per month deployed and an exemption from state income taxes for drills and similar activity

As the lead Republican on the Health and Human Services Finance Committee, I worked with the Governor's office and democrats to negotiate a nation-leading health care reform bill. This includes an emphasis on preventative healthcare; increased transparency so patients can research the quality and the cost of care ahead of time, required e-prescribing by 2011 and tax credits for small businesses. The final bill is drastically different from the bills passed in the house and senate, reflecting the call for change from the small business community, docs and hospitals.

Finally, there was additional bonding for projects that stays within the state's 3 percent debt service limit, including funding for a nursing facility at the Minneapolis Veterans Home and Lake Vermilion State Park.

When the legislature reconvenes next January, many unresolved issues will return. In the midst of a cooling economy, we will face difficult decisions about the need for reform to bring equity in education; particularly for suburban districts like ours. We will also be faced with tough choices about the expansion of publicly subsidized healthcare and welfare.

I look forward to working with Governor Pawlenty and folks across the aisle to bring balanced solutions to these challenges as well as the many opportunities we will have to move Minnesota forward.

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