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State Representative Joyce Peppin
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-7806
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
NEWS COLUMN
House Passes the Tax Relieft and Job Creation Act
Dear Neighbors,
In this edition:
1. Tax Relief and Job Creation Act
2. Voter ID
3. Pro-Life Legislation
1. Tax Relief and Job Creation Act
This week the House passed the Tax Relief and Job Creation Act that builds on the increasingly positive economic climate Minnesota has experienced since last November.
According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, 32,000 jobs have been created in the last three months, and around 30,000 of those are in the private sector. In addition, Minnesota’s rate of unemployment (5.7 percent) is much better than the over eight percent national average. These factors, combined with decreased government spending and a positive state budget outlook, mean that Minnesotans are getting back to work and the state is finally able to start paying its bills. It also signals that we can create jobs without tax-and-spend stimulus packages.
The Tax Relief and Job Creation Act aims to encourage and continue this positive growth through tax and worker training initiatives geared to small- and medium-sized businesses. Right now, Minnesota is ranked as having one of the worst business tax climates in the nation, and the Tax Relief and Job Creation Act will begin to make much-needed changes.
The Act includes proposals to reduce and phase out the statewide business property tax, which all businesses, regardless of size, must pay in addition to local property taxes. It emphasizes investment in innovation and small business that will make Minnesota a magnet for research and development, entrepreneurial innovation, and the bio-tech and medical device industry. The Act also underscores the need for qualified and trained workers in Greater Minnesota, creating an Internship Grant Program and instituting a tax credit for employers who hire veterans who are disabled, unemployed, and receive food stamps.
We must institute pro-job creation reforms today so that Minnesota will be even economically stronger in the future. I am confident that, through these measures, businesses will be able to add more jobs for hard-working Minnesotans.
2. Voter ID
As a co-author of the Voter ID bill, I am pleased that this common sense measure passed the House this week.
A vast majority of Minnesotans polled – often between 70 and 80 percent – believe that voters should have to show photo identification in order to cast a ballot. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Minnesota, leaving room for voter fraud. (To see how easily that can take place, please watch here). House File 2738 would add integrity to the voting system by requiring that an individual show a valid identification, or, if they lack one, to show a free, state-issued identification card.
I have been quoted as saying that the photo ID bill is a “no-brainer,” and firmly believe if given the opportunity to vote in November, voters will pass this common-sense constitutional amendment. The question on the ballot would read: “Should the Minnesota Constitution be amended to require all voters to present valid photo identification on Election Day and that the state provide free identification to eligible voters?”
3. Pro-Life Legislation
This week I presented my bipartisan bill, House File 2341, in two committees. The legislation, which has six DFL co-authors, would prohibit the “webcam” abortion technique in Minnesota.
Since last year, a nationwide family planning organization has been disseminating “the abortion pill” (RU486) via webcam. In short, a pregnant woman who desires an abortion will converse with a physician via videoconference, rather than in person. The doctor then remotely opens a drawer containing the drugs, and the woman can retrieve and swallow them.
When RU486 is administered in this manner, the woman is not able to have a physical exam to verify the unborn child’s gestational age or to ensure that she has no factors making RU486 a potentially deadly procedure for her.
There are numerous other medical complications that can result, some of which can lead to infection, hemorrhage, incomplete abortion, and death. Some of these complications may even mask a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, whose symptoms mirror the expected side effects of RU486, and can lead to death as well. It is because of these safety concerns that RU486 is not legal in Canada, a country known for much more liberal abortion policies.
This bill does not outlaw abortion or prohibit a woman from having a chemical abortion. It simply requires a doctor be present when the drug is administered. Several states have already implemented laws banning webcam abortions, and I sincerely hope Minnesota is added to the list.
It is a pleasure and a privilege to serve as your state representative in St. Paul. Please feel free to contact me with any thoughts or comments on matters of state legislation.
Have a great weekend,
Joyce
News Items
- PEPPIN REPORT: FORECAST SHOWS THIRD CONSECUTIVE STATE SURPLUS - (Posted: 2012-12-06 00:00:00)
- A Look Ahead to the 2012 Legislative Session - (Posted: 2012-01-26 00:00:00)
- A Call to Caucus - (Posted: 2012-02-04 00:00:00)
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