Dear Neighbors,
This week, the pace at the Minnesota Legislature has significantly increased. Tomorrow brings what’s referred to as the First Committee Deadline, meaning that if a bill has not passed out of all required committees in either the House or the Senate, absent a special trip to the Rules Committee, it is no longer alive for the session. A week from Friday is the Second Committee Deadline, and those bills meeting the first deadline in one body must meet a like deadline in the other body. Major finance bills must be out of committee by April 21st and these deadlines do not apply to the Capital Investment, Taxes, Rules, and Ways and Means Committees.
These deadlines have meant long committee hearings, with many of them meeting outside their regularly scheduled times and during evenings. With the deadlines looming, the number of bills available for consideration will soon be lowered substantially.
Next Generation Main Street Act
This week, many legislators joined small business owners at a press conference to introduce a package of bills known as the “Next Generation Main Street Act.” These bills are aimed at reducing costly audits, simplifying tax filing for businesses, and making it easier for owners to transfer their businesses to a next generation owner. Many small businesses don’t have full legal departments or audit teams, so these provisions would help a great deal toward their long term success. The Next Generation Main Street Act key components include:
Supporting Small Business Start-Ups & Entrepreneurs by making sure that every person that starts a small business in Minnesota is contacted and provided information about the resources available to them In addition, legislators are working to assist business start-ups with gap financing through the Minnesota Initiative Foundations.
Helping with Succession Planning by providing grants to Small Business Development Centers to provide transaction services to business owners and next generation, non-family proprietors to help them take over a business.
Streamlining Audits by simplifying the process to reduce the amount of time and money small business owners must spend on costly audits in a number of ways (I’m a co-author of this provision).
Simplifying Tax Filing for Small Businesses by enacting federal tax conformity so that Minnesota businesses can file taxes without delay and uncertainty as well as simplifying sales tax compliance by refunding the cost of using a certified service provider or a certified automated system. (I’m a co-author of these provisions).
OLA Update
In my last Legislative Update, I talked about the Office of the Legislative Auditor. Since then, the Legislative Audit Commission has selected the following five subject areas for program evaluations in the coming year:
-Clean Water Legacy Fund Outcomes
-Home and Community Based Services
-Minnesota State High School League
-Perpich Center for Arts Education
-Standardized Student Testing
The House Education Innovation Policy Omnibus Bill creates a legislative group to work on the needed revisions to the teacher licensure system identified in a recent OLA report. Earlier in the year, the OLA was directed to evaluate the Research and Development Tax Credit, and this and the other five evaluations should be complete before the 2017 Legislative Session begins.
Town Hall Meeting
I’d like to remind you once again about this coming Saturday’s Town Hall Meeting. Sen Bev Scalze, Rep. Jason Isaacson and I welcome Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans as our special guest to have an in-depth discussion of the state budget. I hope you can join us.
What: Town Hall Meeting to discuss the Minnesota state budget
Who: Rep. Barb Yarusso, Rep. Jason Isaacson, Sen. Bev Scalze, Commissioner Myron Frans
When: Saturday, April 2 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Where: Shoreview City Hall (Council Chambers), 4600 Victoria St. N, Shoreview, 55126
Please stay in touch with your comments and questions as the legislative session continues.
Sincerely,
Barb Yarusso
State Representative