Above, Susan Kiffmeyer and her son, Daniel, on behalf of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, came to visit with me in my St. Paul office on Tuesday. Susan and Daniel, of Cold Spring, came to discuss a variety of issues related to cancer, particularly to advocate for a palliative care bill offered in the House. The bill (H.F. 345) attempts to improve the quality and delivery of patient-centered and family-focused care. Thank you to the Kiffmeyers for taking the time to discuss this issue with me.
Greetings,
Congratulations to Kimball’s Sharon Schubert for recently receiving a Breed Ambassador Award for 2016 from the American Saddlebred Association. She was recognized for her work as an advocate for the American Saddlebred horse.
Congratulations to Rockville Lion’s Club members Jan Neyssen, and Jayson and Patty Molitor, along with community resident Steve Phannenstein for recently earning awards during the club’s recent governor’s visit. All four of these folks deserve a tip of the cap for their strong community involvement.
At the Capitol, the House has begun bringing bills to the floor that will start the process of shaping the state’s next two-year budget. The first bill the House voted on came Thursday when we approved a package of $1.35 billion in tax relief over the next biennium, including $270 a million reduction on the state social security income tax.
The tax relief we are proposing in the House is larger than what either the Senate or the governor are offering, so we will see how the process unfolds. The bottom line is Minnesotans have been overtaxed and House bill provides relief for virtually all Minnesotans in one way, shape or form.
The social security reduction would help right a wrong in our state. Minnesota is one of just a handful of states that fully taxes social security income and that puts even more pressure on our seniors living on fixed incomes. This bill would give them some much-deserved breathing room and make life in the twilight years just a little easier to manage.”
Other provisions in the bill include:
- $35 million going for modifying the child and dependent care credit. A family of four with childcare expenses would be estimated to receive $660 in relief.
- More than $125 million toward addressing college affordability. Families saving for college using 529 Savings Plans will benefit from expanded subtractions and credits. In addition, 77,500 students will receive, on average, a $640 reduction in their taxes through a first-in-the-nation tax credit for student loan payments.
- $203 million to reduce the extra state property tax on businesses, exempting the first $200,000 in property value from the extra tax on businesses and freezing its automatic inflator.
- $42 million to reduce the burden agriculture land owners pay for school bond referendums. Farms also would benefit from a measure conforming the state death tax to the federal exclusion.
The House also approved a bill related to the environment and natural resources. The goal with the bill is to improve government agency transparency through reforming the funding process of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency by requiring more detail on where and how efficiently funds are being used, and by reforming the permitting process of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the MPCA.
Some other reforms in the bill include:
- Delaying the implementation of the buffer law from 2017 to 2018
- Improving the sustainability and productivity of the state’s timber industry
- Prohibits the DNR from further restricting the use of lead shot
- Raising the criminal penalty for those who poach to the point of being grossly over limits
The bottom line is that we can protect our environment while improving the environmental review process. This bill helps us do that.
Look for more news soon as the rest of the omnibus finance bills come to the House floor.
Regards,
Jeff