Dear Neighbors,
On Tuesday, the opening day for the 2017 Minnesota Legislative Session, I had the honor to once again be sworn-in as the State Representative for District 44B in the Minnesota House. It’s very rewarding to be able to serve the fine people of my hometown community for another two years.
I'm pleased to announce that before session, my colleagues elected me as Deputy Minority Leader. This means that over the next biennium I will have an increased role contributing to efforts in protecting the interests of Minnesotans and their families. Indeed, it is a privilege to take part in this critical responsibility.
This year I will be serving on three House committees: Taxes, Commerce and Regulatory Reform, and Rules and Legislative Administration. I’m confident that I will be able to use my seats on these panels to improve the lives of Minnesotans by providing smart tax relief, protecting consumers, and making our government more open and transparent, respectively.
The most immediate priority for the Legislature this year is to address skyrocketing premiums for those who purchase health insurance in the individual market. Both Democrats and Republicans alike agree that this is an urgent problem, and families need a break on these premiums. This is a subject that should have been taken care of weeks ago in a special session, but partisan wrangling prevented this from happening. We also agree the insurance marketplace needs reform, and we will give a great deal of attention this session to proposals providing this. We cannot, however, wait for policies with such complexities to go through legislative process before getting relief to Minnesotans now. I look forward to supporting a bill that does so without strings attached.
Aside from premium relief, passing a two-year state budget will be the focus of much of the attention this year. We are currently looking at a surplus of $1.4 billion, and our economy remains relatively strong overall. There are some signs of uncertainty going forward, though. For my part, I hope we can pass a budget which improves the lives of regular Minnesotans and their families by including greater resources for local schools, smart, targeted tax relief, and fixing our transportation infrastructure.
This session I will also continue my work to tackle the crushing burdens Minnesotans face from mountains of student loan debt. Following enormous tuition increases, students here carry some of the highest debt loads in the nation. Last year, I successfully fought for legislation to provide a refundable tax credit eligible Minnesotans can use to alleviate this hardship. A version of this was included in the Omnibus Tax Bill, but an unrelated drafting error caused the bill to not become law. Addressing student loan debt and college tuition are keys to ensure families can experience economic security, and I will work hard on these matters this session.
Throughout the session, I hope you will stay in touch with your viewpoints, questions, and ideas. Feel free to call me any time at the Capitol at 651-296-9934 or email me at rep.jon.applebaum@house.mn. It’s an honor to represent you at the Capitol.
Sinerely,
Jon Applebaum
State Representative