Friends,
Today was the first day of the 2018 Session and, as always, it's an honor to get to represent our community at the Capitol. This past interim was especially special for me as I married the love of my life, Kayla, at the beginning of January. We couldn't ask for a better community to call home.
Rep. Christensen and his wife, Kayla, on their wedding day this January
Tax Relief & Reform
During the 2017 Legislative Session, we passed the first meaningful tax relief for Minnesotans in nearly two decades. My House colleagues and I worked hard to deliver significant tax relief and ultimately passed into law $650 million in tax relief for Minnesota families over the next two years, and $790 million in 2020-2021. Specific relief includes:
- Nearly 284,000 senior citizen tax returns (single and married filing jointly) will receive tax reductions; 72,000 of those will no longer pay 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.
Then in late 2017, Congress passed major tax reform at the federal level. This has resulted in dozens of companies giving bonuses to thousands of Americans on top of increasing take-home pay due to the decrease in taxes owed.
However, due to these major changes at the federal level, we must make changes at the state level to conform to the federal code. Part of what we must do is to work to make sure Minnesotans do not experience tax increases due to changes required to comply with the federal reform. I will work to make certain the hard-working people of Savage and Burnsville do not see their tax bill rise due to these changes.
MNLARS Update
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety rolled out their new computer system, MNLARS, in 2017. It was immediately fraught with problems as thousands of Minnesotans couldn't renew tabs and other basic functions of government.
When the MNLARS system was failing, the Dayton administration insisted for weeks that problems were being overblown and things would be quickly corrected. However, the Department of Public Safety is now asking for an additional $43 million on top of almost $100 million already spent over the past 10 years to correct the problem.
This is an unrealistic request and Minnesota taxpayers should not be saddled with the bill to clean up the mess. During this upcoming session, we must determine who is responsible and make sure they are held accountable so this does not happen again.
If you have had or encounter a problem with the MNLARS system, such as difficulty renewing your vehicle tabs, please use this form to let us know what is going on. We are working with DPS to resolve issues and help fix the system.
As always, please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts and ideas. You can schedule a time to meet with me in my office anytime by calling my office at (651) 296-9463 or share your thoughts via email by emailing me at rep.drew.christensen@house.mn.
Have a great week!
Drew