Dear Neighbors,
Met Council Reform
On Wednesday, I joined Congressman Jason Lewis and Sen. Eric Pratt at a press conference to discuss proposed changes to the Metropolitan Council. Recently, Rep. Lewis passed an amendment to remove the exemption that allows Minnesota to be the only one of over 400 Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) to not have elected officials on their board. Just last night, my legislation to require the Met Council to have local elected officials on the Met Council was passed as part of the Omnibus Supplemental Finance Bill.
Thank you to Congressman Lewis, Sen. Pratt, and the bipartisan group of Senators and county commissioners who came to St. Paul to talk about reforming the Met Council. The changes we're proposing would put the Met Council in line with every other MPO in the country by requiring locally elected officials to be part of the board. This would give citizens some avenue of recourse if they disagree with what their member does on the council.
Because they’re currently unelected and appointed by the sitting governor, Met Council members only need to listen to the governor, not to the people they represent. Our proposals are about good governance for Minnesotans. I’m happy with the passage of my legislation and Congressman Lewis’ amendment; we’re heading in the right direction.
Tax Conformity
On Monday, we took a big step in simplifying our tax code and making it easier to file taxes next year. With a bipartisan vote of 90-38, the House passed our plan to conform to new federal tax changes. In total, 2.1 million Minnesota filers will see a tax cut from our bill. Some of the other highlights include:
- Helping middle-class Minnesotans keep more of what they earn by cutting the second tier income tax rate from 7.05% to 6.75% by tax year 2020. This would mark the first income tax rate reduction in Minnesota since 2000.
- Lowering taxes for people at all income levels by increasing the standard deduction for all filers.
- Protecting families by preserving a state personal and dependent exemption of $4,150.
- Encouraging affordable homeownership by allowing a state-itemized deduction of up to $30,000 in property taxes.
- Supporting hometown businesses and farmers by reinvesting extra revenue from corporate tax changes into Section 179 conformity and overall rate reductions.
Please Contact Me
As always, please contact me to talk about any legislation we’re discussing in the final days of session, or any other matters to which I can be of assistance. You can call or email my office any time, and I’ll get back to you.
Enjoy the weather this weekend,
Tony