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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Dennis Smith (R)

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Post-Session Legislative Update

Friday, May 27, 2016

Dear Neighbors,

The 2016 Legislative session concluded on Monday. The final days preceding adjournment were filled with long floor debates and bill negotiations. A summary of three of the issues we dealt with in the closing week are below:

  1. Middle-Class Tax Relief
  2. REAL ID
  3. Bonding and Transportation

Middle-Class Tax Relief         

Our state has a $900 million surplus which means our residents have been paying too much in taxes. I was proud to vote for our tax proposal, HF848, which provided $800 million of tax relief in the next three years. Provisions in the bill include:

  • $110 million in tax relief for college graduates paying off student loans through a refundable tax credit up to $1,000, the first of its kind in the country.
  • $49 million in tax relief for families who contribute to 529 Plans to save for their children's college costs.
  • $146 million in property tax relief for every small business in the state by exempting the first $100,000 of commercial-industrial property.
  • $13 million in tax relief for veterans by raising the income eligibility threshold, and increasing the total credit from $750 to $1,000.
  • $150 million in tax relief for working families by expanding the working family tax credit.
  • $32 million to reduce the cost of childcare; by expanding the childcare tax credit, families could earn a tax credit up to $960.
  • A Maple Grove modification of our current Tax Incremental Financing for our sand pits. This will allow ease for commercial development in the area which will be a great addition to our downtown area. I was proud to chief author the legislation.

Middle-class families, small business owners, and recent college grads will see benefit from our plan. The legislation passed the House on a wide bipartisan vote of 123-10, and also passed the Senate with bipartisan agreement. It now sits on the governor’s desk, and I hope he’ll see the need for this relief, and sign it into law perhaps today!

REAL ID

I spent much of last week leading the charge to make our state compliant with the federal REAL ID Act. Unfortunately, senators of the REAL ID Conference Committee rejected a House compromise to make Minnesota compliant with federal REAL ID regulations. The final Senate proposal allowed the Department of Public Safety (DPS) authority to rule-make and provide licenses for undocumented immigrants. Early Sunday morning, the House accepted the entire Senate offer – including a 2018 implementation date – but limited rulemaking authority to only REAL ID-related provisions. Until the midnight deadline, Senate Democrats wouldn’t accept a compromise unless it allowed DPS to give driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants.

It’s disappointing the Senate held 3.3 million Minnesota driver’s licenses hostage because of controversial special interests. By pushing for their fringe agenda, Senate Democrats put undocumented workers before the rights of 3.3 million law-abiding citizens. We needed to ensure our residents could fly on a commercial airplane, visit a loved one on a military base, and enter federal facilities, and DFL senators failed to deliver for the residents of our state.

If Minnesotans want driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, we can have that debate in the Legislature and pass a bill, but we shouldn’t be leaving a complex policy decision up to unelected bureaucrats in DPS. The House was very reasonable throughout negotiations. We made concession after concession in order to find a compromise, but did not want to allow DPS this broad authority that should be under the purview of the Legislature. Lawmakers shouldn’t be looking for backdoor loopholes to accomplish their controversial agenda.

The federal government recently denied Governor Dayton’s request for a REAL ID extension. Without legislative action, the current deadline for REAL ID in Minnesota is 2018. A compromise means we don’t get everything we want. The House offer gave the Senate almost everything they asked for from the start, and I’m extremely disappointed the Senate conferees put their politics before the needs of millions of Minnesotans.

House Image

My REAL ID bill passed the House on a 87-42 vote. 

Bonding and Transportation

Late Sunday, we passed a bonding and transportation bill to invest $700 million in roads and bridges. This is a historic amount of money placed specifically to our roads and bridges. After another broad bipartisan vote in the House, the Senate pulled a purely political move to try and sneak Southwest Light Rail funding in the bonding agreement we passed. Because of the games, the Senate ran out of time, killing a bill to bring needed capital to Minnesota’s infrastructure.

Putting politics before people is exactly what the Senate decided to do on Sunday. It’s extremely disappointing to see Minnesotans hurt by politicians looking to make a statement rather than enact sound policy. The governor may call a special session in order to pass this bill. If he does, I hope the Senate can honor the original agreement and pass what we approved.

Memorial Day – Thank you to our fallen heroes

This weekend we honor our fallen heroes in our country who have given their final full measure of devotion. Whether you are up north or here in the cities, take a moment on Monday to attend a memorial service and thank those who have given their life for our freedoms. I will be attending the service at the Osseo-Maple Grove American Legion on Monday at 10:00 a.m. I hope to see you there.

Sectional Playoffs!

Playoffs for the spring sports are ongoing – good luck to the Crimson and Orioles in your competitions this week!

Please Contact Me

Although session is over, I hope you will continue to contact me. I can be reached via email at Rep.Dennis.Smith@house.mn, by phone at 651-296-5502, and US mail address: 13570 Grove Drive, #370, Maple Grove, MN, 55311.

Have a great holiday weekend,

Dennis

P.S. Please encourage your neighbors and friends to sign up for my email updates here.