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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Jenifer Loon (R)

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Legislative Update from Rep. Jenifer Loon and Upcoming Town Hall

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The 2018 legislative session has concluded, as lawmakers advanced a number of key priorities for families, schools and taxpayers in Eden Prairie, sending several bills to Governor Dayton’s desk for signature.

First, a key issue for Minnesota taxpayers this session was tax conformity. After Congress overhauled our federal tax code late last year, it was imperative that we act in Minnesota to avoid unnecessary complications for tax filers next spring and ensure that citizens can take full advantage of state and federal tax relief. The tax plan we sent to Governor Dayton included the first income tax rate cut in nearly twenty years, simplified our tax code, and meant 99.8 percent of taxpayers would be held harmless or see a tax reduction next year.

While getting tax conformity done was critical for Minnesotans, the governor expressed that without additional funding to address budget shortfalls in certain school districts, he would not sign a tax bill. In a sincere attempt to find compromise with Governor Dayton, our tax bill also included more money for our schools. Our bipartisan plan made available $225 million for Minnesota schools—nearly $100 million more than his request to address budget shortfalls. The bill placed more money in every classroom—$57.73 of new money for every pupil, provided school districts with needed flexibility, and incorporated bipartisan solutions to help Minnesota students and schools. I think this was a commonsense compromise that greatly benefited Minnesota kids.

And as we worked for Minnesota kids, school safety was another important issue this session. As Education Chair, I championed a number of measures we sent to the governor for signature to help schools make facility security upgrades, hire a school resource officer or more student counselors, and address student mental health.

Perhaps most notably, with all of our education initiatives this session, we provided resources, funding and flexibility so our local school districts could make the decisions that work best for them.

Our supplemental bill, in addition to a number of school safety measures, also included many other policies that were priorities for Minnesota. We provided funding to repair roads and bridges, tackled our state’s troubling opioid epidemic, advanced measures to protect aging and vulnerable adults, increased penalties for texting and driving, helped caregivers who care for disabled Minnesotans, and much more.  

Unfortunately, I am sorry to share that both the tax/education bill and supplemental bill were vetoed by Governor Dayton on Wednesday at the expense of Minnesotans in our district and every corner of the state.

I am keenly disappointed in the governor’s vetoes. This is political gamesmanship at the expense of Minnesota taxpayers, students, schools, and citizens across the state. His number one priority was helping schools facing budget shortfalls, and we compromised significantly to do that.

In addition, as Education Chair, I worked hard to advance critical school safety measures, put more money in every classroom, address special education funding shortfalls, and strengthen policies around teacher licensure. With a simple veto, Governor Dayton has thrown all of that good work away, hurting Minnesota students and schools in the process.

Finally, I wanted to note that the bipartisan bonding bill we sent to Governor Dayton has not yet been acted upon. This legislation is infrastructure-heavy, focusing on transportation, water infrastructure and statewide asset preservation. For our veterans, there is also funding to construct three new veterans homes in Greater Minnesota, as well as an additional $10 million for the renovation of existing homes. Schools can apply for grants to make safety upgrades to their buildings from a $25 million fund established in the bonding bill.  For Eden Prairie, there is a provision for a rail crossing upgrade and pathway improvements. I hope he will sign this legislation into law. 

Even with the vetoes of the tax/education and supplemental budget bill, I believe we have had an incredibly productive past two years, providing Minnesotans with the largest tax cut in nearly two decades, the largest investment in roads and bridges in state history without a gas tax increase, critical health care reforms and significant investments in students and schools. I know we will take up many of the issues vetoed again next session, and continue to fight for the people and shared priorities of Minnesota.

Attend My Town Hall on June 9!

On Saturday, June 9, I will be hosting a town hall where I will discuss the accomplishments of the 2018 session and take questions from constituents. I look forward to meeting with area residents and talking about the work we did this session. I hope to see you there!

Here are the details:

When: Saturday, June 9, 2018

Time: 10:00-11:00 AM

Location: Eden Prairie Community Center, Cambria Room, 16700 Valley View Road, Eden Prairie. MN

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If you need assistance on a matter related to state government, or have questions, comments or suggestions about what is happening in the Legislature, please don’t hesitate to contact my office. I am here to serve you!

Sincerely,

Jenifer Loon