Dear Friends,
This week, the Senate passed the bill approved by the House last week to give $20 million in immediate tax relief to Minnesota families.
College students, teachers, homeowners, and businesses will be able to take advantage of tax deductions once the bill is signed by the Governor early next week. It's great to see this bill passed with three months before taxes are due in April, and prevents families from having to endure the hassle of amending their tax return later on.
Child Protection Bill
Earlier this week, a bipartisan child protection bill aimed at making improvements to Minnesota's child protection laws passed the Health and Human Services Reform Committee on a unanimous vote.
The bill is authored by my colleague Rep. Ron Kresha, who is a part of the Governor's Task Force on Child Protection, formed in response to the tragic death of four-year-old Eric Dean, who passed away last year despite numerous warnings and abuse reports being filed.
As the Chair of the Health and Human Services Reform Committee, it was a priority of mine to move this bill quickly and make sure we can get these common-sense fixes through the committee process. I'm hopeful that the strong bipartisan support for this important legislation will continue, and that these changes will help save the lives of children in the future by ensuring that the child protection system does its job of keeping kids safe.
Dakota Valley Learning Center
This week I had the chance to tour the new education facility for District 196 in Apple Valley, the Dakota Valley Learning Center. This facility is where many early childhood and adult basic education classes take place.
District 196 is known for its quality and innovative education system, and this is a great new facility that will foster learning for many in our community.
As always, please feel free to contact me with questions, comments, or suggestions. You can reach me by email at rep.tara.mack@house.mn or by phone at 651-296-5506.
Have a great weekend!
Tara Mack
State Representative, District 57A