Dear Friends,
We’re now in the third week of the legislative session and things are moving along quickly. I would like to briefly update you on some of the events going on at the Capitol and invite you to a town hall meeting on April 2nd with Rep. Yarusso, Sen. Scalze and Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans.
Don’t Forget your Property Tax Refund or Renter’s Credit
As a friendly reminder, don’t forget to file for your Renter’s Property Tax or Homestead Credit Refund. To see if you qualify, take a look at the Minnesota Department of Revenue’s Instruction Guide. The forms can be accessed here.
The Minnesota Department of Revenue also has information available on filing for free on their website. If you want to file yourself and wonder if you qualify for free electronic filing products or you want assistance from a free tax preparation site, visit this page.
Additionally, the IRS has free filing information available on their website. On the homepage of their website under the banner “Hot Topics” you will see a link entitled “Get Free Tax Preparation Help” or “Free File Tax Software”.
Supporting Veterans at the Capitol
Several House DFLers have proposed legislation to provide support for Minnesota’s veterans and guardsman. The comprehensive package does the following:
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Increases access to mental health services: Funds and allows the Soldiers’ Assistance Fund to cover court-ordered mental health and substance abuse counseling for veterans.
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Financial relief while transitioning to a veteran home: Creates a tax credit for veterans who are staying in private nursing homes to help ease the financial burden while they wait for a bed in a veteran’s nursing home.
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Expanding health coverage for veterans and guardsmen: Creates a feasibility study for providing health insurance to veterans and guardsmen to extend coverage beyond the health insurance programs provided by the federal VA and the Department of Defense.
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Reducing domestic violence: Expands opportunities for veterans to participate in the Change Step Program for veterans who need domestic abuse counseling and education.
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Ending veteran homelessness and honoring those who have served: Increases funding to address veterans homelessness and provides additional money to reimburse veterans service organizations for providing honor guards at veterans’ funerals.
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Increases support for veterans who have struggled to reintegrate: Similar to drug courts, Veterans Courts provide problem-solving treatment and therapy instead of punitive court sentencing. These courts better recognize both the service and struggles many veterans experience.
“Pre to 3” Early Childhood Education Initiative
This week several House DFLers introduced a package of bills to give all children a strong start in life by making child care more affordable, supporting child care providers, expanding access to care, and increasing infant and child wellbeing. The “Pre to 3” legislative package targets investments and reforms that support children and families from prenatal to three years of age, a critical time period to ensure that children are healthy and prepared for success later in life.
The “Pre to 3” package also includes investments and reforms to support child care providers. Some of the reforms include efforts to streamline and simplify regulations for child care providers and requiring that the Department of Human Services make prompt payments to child care providers.
The “Pre to 3” package aims to increase infant and child wellbeing by increasing funding for home visiting and funding at-home infant care for new parents so more can afford to stay home with their babies. In addition, legislators would fully fund Early Head Start so at-risk children receive targeted care and services to promote healthy brain and social/emotional development.
To view details of the proposal, click on the link:
Pre to 3: Investments to give all children a strong start in life
Join me for a Town Hall Meeting on April 2nd
I’m hold a town hall meeting with Rep. Yarusso, Sen. Scalze and Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans. The town hall meeting with focus on how the state budget works with a focus on how revenue is collected.
This town hall meeting will provide an opportunity for constituents to have a discussion about the state budget process and about the issues that are important in state government.
Who: Reps. Isaacson, Yarusso, Sen. Scalze and MMB Commissioner Myron Frans
What: Town Hall Meeting on the State Budget
Where: Shoreview City Council Chambers (4600 Victoria Street North)
When: Saturday, April 2nd from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public to the public.
I hope you’ll join me for the town hall meeting. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any issues or concerns you may have. I can be reached by phone at (651) 296-8638 or via email at jason.isaacson@house.mn.
Sincerely,
Jason