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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Jon Koznick (R)

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Koznick Connection: Legislative Update (Feb. 17, 2017)

Friday, February 17, 2017

Dear Lakeville Neighbors,

I hope you’re enjoying a winter warm-up now that we can jog outside again. The downside is the closure of our outdoor ice rinks for the season. The good news is we’re coming up on the playoff season for our hockey and winter sports teams. Good luck to Lakeville’s teams as they finish their seasons strong!

Budget Year

The first year of each biennium is dedicated to the creation of our two-year budget. Governor Dayton has already released his proposal, and it’s a bit disappointing. When you really dig into the numbers, it’s pretty startling. The governor proposes $1.6 BILLION in higher taxes compared to just $188 million in tax cuts. We currently have a budget surplus, and clearly don’t need to be taking more from hardworking Minnesotans. The February budget forecast will be released soon, and we’ll have a better idea of where we stand for the budget. What we already know is we shouldn’t be raising your taxes, we should be cutting them.

Tax Relief

As a member of the Taxes Committee, we routinely discuss ways to ease this burden. I recently introduced a bill to lower ALL tax income brackets by 1/8 of a percent. This is a bipartisan bill, and Rep. Greg Davids, chairman of the Taxes Committee, is a co-author. It’s a simple way to lower taxes for every resident in the state who pays taxes. To me, it’s common-sense legislation to give hardworking Minnesotans a break.

Recently, in this committee, I was fortunate to chair a meeting. I was honored to be asked to run the committee and appreciated the confidence of my colleagues. Tax committee is always more interesting than you expect. This hearing wasn't supposed to be contentious, but I enjoyed running the discussion. We strive for good governance, all the time.

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Dakota County Roads and Bridges

I’m once again authoring a bill to use existing motor vehicle leases taxes to improve roads and bridges in the metro area including Dakota County. It seems to have wide support again in the legislature, and I’m hopeful for its inclusion in the final transportation bill. I am continuing to meet with House leadership and Speaker Daudt to discuss the importance of this issue.

Coming Up

Be sure to mark your calendars for Lakeville Public Safety’s annual Fire On Ice Golf Tournament at the Chart House on March 4th from 11am until 3pm. It’s a fun way to get outside and support Lakeville’s finest.

Have a great weekend,

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Jon Koznick
State Representative, Lakeville, 58A