Dear Neighbor,
Before we get to legislative business, I would like to remind people that, as we approach the April 18 deadline for filing taxes, all military pensions are fully exempt from Minnesota state income taxes beginning with 2016 filings that are due this year.
It took more than a decade of work in the Legislature to make this change and in 2016 the exemption passed and was signed into law. Reports from as recently as last July rank Minnesota among the nation’s five worst in terms of the state tax on military pensions. The change which takes place this filing season will improve our state’s ranking considerably and I am grateful to see the efforts we put into making it happen are now paying off.
I also would like to pass along word that students in grades K-8 are invited to enter the Minnesota Safe Routes to School’s Bike to School poster contest. The entry deadline is April 26.
Complete contest information, including classroom lesson plans for classroom teachers, is at this link. Winners are set to be announced prior to National Bike to School Day scheduled for May 10. They will receive their choice of several bicycle products, including a bike rack and public bike pump, for their school. Schools can register to participate in Bike to School Day by clicking here. Registered schools will receive kits that include promotional posters, educational bookmarks and stickers.
As for work with the House, area meetings have been the order of the week with legislators home in their respective districts in honor of the Easter/Passover season.
First, it was an honor to speak to a group of up to 400 SWAT personnel from the 2017 Special Operations Training Association during their annual conference. Many of the attendees are combat veterans, so we had that common thread. I provided them with an update of numerous bills the House is proposing this session to support law enforcement and I also shared some information regarding our recent successes to assist veterans.
These SWAT members are true American heroes. They volunteer for these positions and make significant sacrifices, willingly taking on high-risk scenarios in the toughest of situations. I commend them for their efforts to protect fellow citizens.
I also attended a transportation summit where a portion of the discussion centered on proposals to extend the Northstar commuter rail to St. Cloud. Advocates of the line are looking to conduct a pilot project in order to learn more about the feasibility of this line.
There still are far more questions than answers regarding how a Northstar pilot project would function and how the information would be interpreted. I will keep my ears open in case answers to the many questions become available. Meantime, I will continue working on ways we can provide additional funding to improve roads and bridges that directly impact all the citizens of District 13A.
On a related note, the House transportation bill funds the vast majority of bridges on MnDOT’s deficient bridge list. It funds 95 of them throughout the state, with two bridges in the metro the only exceptions. Those two bridges should be considered for inclusion in a bonding bill because they bring rather high price tags.
Stay tuned for more information from the House when we return to St. Paul next week. The 11 omnibus finance bills which received approval over the last couple of weeks will now head to conference committees. This is where the true negotiation process starts, first between the House and Senate as we work to prepare bills for final passage, and then between the Legislature and the governor as we take steps toward enactment of a new two-year budget.
It will be interesting to see what unfolds with the budget and all its movable parts. What comes out in the end may look much different from what it does today.
Until next time, have a safe and blessed Easter/Passover holiday. I hope you are able to spend extra time in the company of friends and family.
Good luck,
Jeff