Dear Friends,
A quick update on the status of our tax bill since Monday:
Tax Bill Veto
Governor Dayton “pocket vetoed” the tax bill on Monday night, June 6th, meaning he left the legislation unsigned past midnight on the day on the deadline, causing the bill to automatically veto. As I have mentioned before, this tax bill included nearly $800 million in middle class tax relief over the next three years, with $500 million of that relief being permanent and on-going.
The tax bill had the combined support of 89% of both House and Senate members, making it the most bipartisan tax bill the legislature has passed in the last thirty years. The Governor says he vetoed the bill because of two small changes he would like to see made. The first is a technical change of one word in the bill language, and the other is reinstating the MN State High School League tax-exemption and having the league set that money aside to provide scholarships to under-privileged students so that they can participate in extracurricular activities. House Republicans agreed to make these changes immediately if the Governor would call a special session, but he refuses to do so until an agreement is reached with the bonding/transportation bill, meaning that he would like an extra nearly $500 million in spending included in bonding bill before he’ll act on our bipartisan tax bill. This goes directly against Governor Dayton’s promise to not hold tax relief hostage for his bonding bill demands.
Community
Apple Valley High School Fab Lab
On Wednesday, June 8th, I got the change to visit ISD 196 Apple Valley High School Fab Lab and see a presentation from a talented student. These students are learning skills that will translate to well-paying jobs in the future, and I am so proud to have them in our community! Thank you for letting me join you!
Flint Hills Scholarships
Also on June 8th, I had the pleasure of joining Flint Hills Resources in presenting 26 Flint Hills Resources Discovery Scholarship Awards to students, many of whom live in our community. Congratulations to these impressive young people, and good luck to them in all their future endeavors!
Stay in Touch
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.
Sincerely,
Anna Wills
State Representative 57B
Rosemount, Apple Valley, and Coates