Friends,
I hope you are able to enjoy the gorgeous Mother's Day and Fishing Opener weekend we have in store for us. In St. Paul, we've been busy passing budget bills and attempting to negotiate with the Governor. So far, he's been unwilling to come to the table with real offers and we are moving ahead with our compromise bills to send to his desk. I hope he does what is best for Minnesotans and doesn't play politics with Minnesota's budget. You can read about a couple of our key bills below. Have a great weekend!
Tax Relief & Reform Passes Bill House
The compromise tax bill between the House & Senate delivers long-overdue tax relief and reform to Minnesotans. The relief is targeted at helping lower and middle income Minnesotans by expanding the child care tax credit, allowing tax credits for families saving for college, creating a first-in-the-nation tax credit for those paying back student loans, and beginning to phase out the tax on social security income for middle-class seniors. This relief combined with reforms done to spur economic growth makes this a great tax bill for the people of Minnesota and I hope the governor will sign it.
Transportation Bill Passes House
With the Transportation Plan that passed the House this week, we are addressing a statewide need and a core function of the state government. We do this by using existing resources and NOT raising taxes. The compromise plan between the House & Senate dedicates $2 billion toward our transportation needs with an emphasis on roads and bridges. I hope the governor will sign this bill and get Minnesota the long-overdue fixes needed to our roads and bridges.
School Visits to Capitol
It's always great to welcome school groups to the Capitol. Here are a few pictures from recent trips:
If you have any other questions on any of my bills or anything else going on at the legislature, please reach out to my office at (651) 296-8872. You can also reach me via email at rep.bob.loonan@house.mn.
Have a great weekend,
Bob