Hello Friends,
This Tuesday saw the start of the 2016 Legislative Session. This session will be a quick 10 weeks in length, so there is quite a lot to accomplish in a relatively short amount of time.
Session Priorities
This session our top priorities as a caucus are tax relief for the middle class, and passing a transportation plan with a focus on the long term. There is a $900 million budget surplus, which is slightly less than the $1.2 billion previously anticipated by the Minnesota Management and Budget Office. We will be debating the best way to use the surplus, and I believe a portion will be invested in transportation.
We currently have a comprehensive tax reform package sitting in conference committee, and a $7 billion transportation bill that would build up and repair our transportation infrastructure without raising taxes.
For anyone interested in a bit more information, here is a link to a session preview article in the Rosemount Town Pages featuring myself, Rep. Pat Garofalo, and Sen. Greg Clausen: http://www.rosemounttownpages.com/news/government/3963548-roads-taxes-will-highlight-session
This Year’s Capital Investment Bill
This session we will also likely be passing a capital investment, or “bonding” bill. This bill would give low interest loans to construction projects around the state to build infrastructure. The House Public Information Office put out this informational video which summarizes the process nicely: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U0aDEUDKcw.
State of the State Address
On March 9th, Governor Dayton gave his State of the State Address. The address was held at the University of Minnesota in the McNamara Alumni Center, since the Capitol construction has restricted space in the House chamber where the speech is traditionally held. If you missed the State of the State, this link has a video recording of the full speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U0aDEUDKcw.
Also, here are the links for the responses from the GOP House and Senate, and the DFL House and Senate, respectively:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A21hzAWtiz8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXXpvWto-r0
Athletic Facility Referendum in Rosemount
At a meeting on March 2nd, the Rosemount city council voted unanimously to hold a special election on May 17th to put a $15 million referendum on the ballot to improve athletic facilities in Rosemount. This article contains an overview of the proposal: http://www.rosemounttownpages.com/news/government/3982807-city-will-hold-referendum-new-athletic-facilities
As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with your comments, questions, and concerns. Email me any time at rep.anna.wills@house.mn or call 651-296-4306. You can also follow my updates on Facebook at www.facebook.com/repannawills and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/annacwills.
Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend and don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour!
Sincerely,
Anna