Hello Friends,
First Deadline, “Policy Deadline” Week
This is one of the more busy times at the Capitol when policy committees are assembling their large policy bills, called omnibus bills. Instead of committees meeting between 8am and 6pm, they frequently go late into the night. The grueling schedule gets repeated next month when finance committees assemble their omnibus bills.
Bill that partitions Minneapolis schools to be heard?
Minneapolis Public Schools would be partitioned into six districts by a bill that may be under consideration in the Education Innovation Policy Committee. I have reservations that, contrary to the intent of its authors, S.F 1513 / H.F. 1995 would result in more administration, less school choice, and more school segregation. Moreover, it would interfere with city-wide initiatives underway for students with special needs as well as others.
90% of Minnesotans will pay less in taxes
It was great news to hear this week that the tax reforms we passed two years ago will result in lower taxes for 90% of all Minnesotans. The Minnesota Department of Revenue’s annual Tax Incidence Study shows that those earning less than $140,000 will be paying less in overall taxes, as a portion of income, than they did in 2012.
The study credits a few reasons for the decrease in overall taxes:
First, wages are starting to grow for Minnesotans and are anticipated to outpace the growth in new taxes. Second, the budget passed by Governor Dayton and the state legislature has helped middle class taxpayers. While the top 2% of earners will pay more income tax, and corporations lost special tax perks, we provided $177 million in direct property tax relief, benefitting nearly 1 million Minnesotans. In addition, our budget cut income taxes for middle class Minnesotans through federal tax conformity, which also benefitted more than 1 million Minnesotans.
Combine this good news with our strong economy and a $1.9 billion surplus, and it’s clear that partisan claims that the reforms we passed would cripple our state’s economy just aren’t accurate. We should keep pursuing policies that expand our economy for hardworking Minnesotans.
Oil Train Safety a Priority
For the past several years we have seen more and more oil trains travel through our state. In the past five weeks alone, there have been five oil trains derailments in North America. One of these trains, which derailed in Illinois, traveled right through Minnesota. Members of the press mapped the most endangered communities in Minnesota online.
In 2014 we took steps to address safety preparedness, but there’s much more to do to keep our communities safe. This week, Governor Dayton and legislators introduced a proposal to address oil train safety in Minnesota. The plan would:
-reduce the likelihood of catastrophic fires involving crude oil trains;
-improve public safety in rail corridors across the state;
-provide property tax relief to communities who are confronting rail safety issues;
-and continue efforts to improve fire safety preparedness in local communities.
The legislation would pay for these proposals by asking railroad companies to pay for safety improvements through assessments and property taxes. Some railroad companies have seen their profits increase by as much as 600% in recent years, and it is reasonable to ask them to pay a fraction of those profits to keep our communities safe. Thus far this session House leadership has sided with railroad companies in opposition to these initiatives. It’s my hope they will join us in addressing what really shouldn’t be a partisan issue.
Please feel free to contact me directly with your comments and questions. You can reach me by phone at (651) 296-0173 or by email at rep.jim.davnie@house.mn. Thank you for the honor of serving you at the State House.
Sincerely,
Jim Davnie