Greetings,
On Tuesday, the Governor signed the budget into law, officially ending the 2017 Legislative Session.
Below you will find further explanation regarding the details of the budget and the reforms made to the buffer law:
Breakdown of the Budget:
Taxes: The tax bill provides $650 million in tax relief over the next two years (2018-2019) and $790 million in 2020-2021; the largest tax relief package in almost 20 years!
- Nearly 284,000 senior citizens will receive tax reductions; 72,000 of those will no longer pay any state income tax on their social security benefits.
- A family of four making $50,000 a year will receive an additional $1,200 toward their child care expenses.
- 65,000 students will receive an average of a $414 reduction in their taxes through a new tax credit for student loan payments.
- Every Minnesota business owner will see relief from an “extra” business tax.
- 240,000 farmers will receive property tax relief to reduce their disproportionate share of school district levy costs.
The tax bill also provides a $15 million statewide increase for Local Government Aid and a $25.5 million statewide increase for County Program Aid to help local governments pay for essential services.
- Big Stone: 343% increase
- Douglas: 12.28% increase
- Grant: 307% increase
- Pope: 151% increase
- Stevens: 242% increase
- Traverse: 256% increase
- Wilkin: 218% increase
Transportation: The transportation budget prioritizes Greater Minnesota’s need of road and bridge repairs and improvements responsibly by using existing revenue sources. In the next two years alone, an additional $300 million will be invested in the state’s transportation infrastructure with an additional $16 million for small cities’ road projects (a provision that I authored this session). Additionally, through the creation of a new local bridge account, 97 bridges will either be repaired or replaced statewide. Altogether, this is the largest investment in our roads and bridges in state history without having to raise taxes.
Education: The K12 education budget invests an additional $1.3 billion in our students, as well as make some significant reforms:
- Ending the default "Last In, First Out" layoff policy to ensure schools can keep the best teachers in the classroom.
- Expanding pre-K scholarships.
- Overhauling the broken teacher licensure system in order to help schools address teacher shortages.
Funding Increase by District:
- Alexandria: 3.4%
- Ashby: 3.1%
- Barnesville: 3.3%
- Benson: 3.3%
- Brandon-Evansville: 3.3%
- Breckenridge: 3.3%
- Browns Valley: 3.3%
- Campbell-Tintah: 2.9%
- Chokio-Alberta: 2.7%
- Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley: 3.4%
- Fergus Falls: 3.5%
- Hancock: 3.2%
- Herman-Norcross: 2.7%
- Lac Qui Parle Valley: 3.3%
- Minnewaska: 3.5%
- Morris Area: 3.3%
- Ortonville: 3.5%
- Rothsay: 3.5%
- West Central Area: 3.3%
- Wheaton Area: 3.2%
Bonding Projects: I was able to secure funding within the bonding bill for some very important projects in need of completion within our district:
- Flood hazard mitigation projects in Browns Valley and Ortonville
- The bill also increases funding to the Public Facility Authority. Some of their priority water quality projects include: Breckenridge, Morris, Elbow Lake & Dumont.
Buffer Reforms:
The following changes were made to the buffer law in order to make it more workable for farmers and landowners:
- Deadline Waiver: A temporary waiver for up to 8 months, available through local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) will be available for those not able to comply with the November 1, 2017 deadline for buffer installation on public waters.
- Alternative Practices: SWCDs will now be able to approve alternative practices based on local conditions.
- Cost Share: $5 million from the Clean Water Fund will be available through SWCDs for landowners interested in technical or financial assistance to establish buffers or alternative practices.
- Seed Mixes: To prevent the spread of palmer amaranth or other noxious weeds, seed mixes must follow Minnesota's current seed verification process.
- Definition of Public Waters: The definition of "public waters" was narrowed for purposes of the buffer law to be ONLY waters designated in the last Public Waters Inventory (PWI) update. Existing law pointed to a much broader definition of “public waters” and this change clarifies the intent of the 2015 agreement.
REAL ID Signed Into Law:
Due to the passage of REAL ID, Minnesotans will be able to continue to board airplanes, as well as visit military bases and federal facilities while using the appropriate identification. The differences between the new REAL ID and a current driver's license are minimal. The REAL ID verifies the license holder’s legal status within the United States and ensures residence of only one state. In order to address some people’s concerns about privacy, the bill that has passed allows for a dual-track system. Minnesotans will be able to either apply to get a REAL ID, or use their current state driver's license and a passport as their form of identification.
Staying in Touch:
Please be sure to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government. I can be reached by phone at either 651-296-4929, 701-361-1909, or via email at rep.jeff.backer@house.mn.
Have a great weekend,
