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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Keith Franke (R)

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News From Rep. Keith Franke 3-24-2017

Friday, March 24, 2017

Dear Neighbors,

We’ve concluded another week of the legislative session, and are making some big strides. We’re starting to release our large budget bills, and we could be voting on them in the coming weeks. Here are a couple highlights.

Tax Relief

I hear lots from the hardworking people of our area who feel they’re paying too much in state taxes. I couldn’t agree more, and that’s why I’m excited about our proposal to provide $1.35 billion in tax relief for Minnesotans. We have a $1.6 billion surplus; we’re long overdue to give back to taxpayers. One of my favorite provisions will help our seniors by increasing the taxable income limit for Social Security income. This will help our aging population, especially those on fixed incomes.

There’s also great provisions to ease the property tax burden for American Legions and VFW’s, as well as small businesses around the state. We’ve included so many important provisions, and I’m thrilled to advocate for hardworking Minnesotans to receive a break on their taxes.

My Legislation

Another bill we rolled out this week pertains to public safety. This omnibus bill includes language from my bill, HF1475, to combat terrorism in Minnesota. The legislation creates a new felony offense for providing support for an act of terrorism.

When putting together this omnibus bill, our main goal is keeping Minnesotans safe. The language included from my bill is a way to create harsher punishments for those aiding terrorists in our state, and will hopefully deter individuals from providing support for terrorism.

Veteran’s Day

Earlier this week, it was Veteran’s Day at the Capitol. We had such a great turnout, and I was amazed at all the support throughout the day. Thank you to all our veterans and active duty service members for your past and current service to our state and country.

Student Visit

Today, I met with students from Pullman Elementary. It was great showing them around the Capitol and the House chambers. It’s truly the best part of the job!

House Image

As always, feel free to contact me to share your thoughts and ideas. I’d love to hear from you.

Have a great weekend,

Keith