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State Representative Kelby Woodard
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-7065
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Ups and downs in St. Paul
To the editor,
While the legislative session is just getting started, there were a couple of disappointing developments at the Capitol this week as well as positive economic news.
On Monday, the House DFL voted to break tradition by placing agriculture finance decisions squarely under the purview of an environmental committee and not as a stand-alone committee with its own authority.
The new House majority had an opportunity to show a commitment to our state's agricultural economy and instead demonstrated a clear lack understanding of the unique needs of Greater Minnesota.
Another disappointing vote was on an issue that would have brought urgency to the legislative process in helping Minnesotans capitalize on tax savings. The provisions we proposed passing immediately need to be enacted before citizens begin filing their taxes in the next few weeks.
Thursday’s partisan vote by the DFL to delay the process will impact citizens on a number of fronts. A few of the delayed provisions include:
- $5.3 million in deductions for tuition
- $1.7 million in charitable deductions for seniors
- $3.9 million in mortgage insurance deductions
Amendments to the bill would have also included $68.4 million in relief to middle-class and low-income families through an increased standard deduction for married filers and $17 million to low-income families through the Working Family Credit Conformation.
The good news is that our state is enjoying an even larger surplus than previously forecast and more Minnesotan are going back to work. The Minnesota Dept. of Revenue reported an additional $114 million in surplus for the months of November and December. These funds will be used to accelerate the payment of the education funding shift to an expected 86/14. That is a substantial improvement from the initial shift put in place by the DFL in 2010, at 70/30.
The news from DEED also indicates an improving state economy. “The state has added about 50,700 jobs over the past year, a growth rate of 1.9 percent, compared with a growth rate of 1.4 percent nationally … The state unemployment rate fell to a seasonally adjusted 5.5 percent last month, down 0.1 percent from a revised 5.6 percent in November. The U.S. unemployment rate last month was 7.8 percent.”
On a related note, you may have noticed a smaller paycheck starting this month. It seems many people thought it was clear sailing for us since the so-called fiscal cliff was averted in Washington, D.C. In reality, the feds failed to extend the all of the Bush tax rates and our social-security tax went up by 2 percent.
As always, please let me know if you have questions, ideas, or concerns. I appreciate the opportunity to serve as your representative in St. Paul.
Sincerely,
Rep. Kelby Woodard
News Items
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