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

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Legislative Update from Rep. Jenifer Loon and Town Hall Meeting this Saturday

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Dear Neighbors,

I am honored to be serving as your voice at the Capitol. It’s a true privilege to bring Eden Prairie’s priorities to state government, and I encourage you to contact me throughout session should you have questions, concerns or ideas about legislation. Your input is valuable to me!

HIGHLIGHTS IN THIS UPDATE:

  • Upcoming Town Hall
  • Sunday Liquor Sales
  • Update from Education Committee
  • MNvest Bill
  • Governor’s Budget

Upcoming Town Hall

I will be holding a town hall meeting this Saturday, January 31st at 10:00-11:30 AM in the large meeting room of the Eden Prairie Library to discuss the major issues I anticipate will be considered during this year's legislative session and to answer constituents' questions.

I hope to see you and many members of our community there!

Sunday Liquor Sales

Last Thursday, Senator Roger Reinert and I held a press conference to discuss our Sunday Liquor Sales legislation.

House File 231, which I introduced last week, would legalize the sale of alcohol on Sundays in Minnesota. Consumers are asking for the convenience of purchasing alcohol on a busy weekend shopping day and many liquor stores want the freedom to determine their days of operation, including Sundays, to best serve their customers.   Four small business owners participated in our press conference last week to express support for removing the ban on Sunday sales.

With over 75 percent of Minnesota’s population living in a legislative district within 30 miles of the border, and every neighboring state and province providing alcohol sales on Sunday, a change to this law would keep Minnesota competitive.

Momentum is growing for this issue at the Capitol, with the Speaker of the House and governor both in support. With a long and growing bipartisan list of coauthors on my bill, I am hopeful this legislation will advance this session.

Update from Education Committee

Last week in the House Education Finance Committee, we talked about the importance of early childhood education. Ensuring our children have the right skills to enter kindergarten ready to learn can help students start down the path of academic success. It was wonderful to hear from experts in this area, as I am certain this will be a key issue for the Education Committee in the coming months.

Additionally, on Tuesday, our committee heard testimony on proven methods and strategies for closing the achievement gap, an important issue that needs to be addressed this session if we want to ensure every Minnesota student has the opportunity to receive a world-class education.

It was also wonderful to hear from a number of schools that are beating the odds when it comes to closing the achievement gap, and to learn more about how some of their initiatives strengthening student achievement can be adopted by underperforming schools to replicate their success.

MNvest Bill

On Monday, I introduced House File 328, a bill that allows people to invest online in small business startups through equity crowdfunding. Similar bills passed in other states have allowed people to invest in businesses at the ground level, encouraging entrepreneurial success and innovation.

Senator Terri Bonoff is authoring the companion bill in the Senate, and both of our bills have strong bipartisan support. I look forward to working on this legislation this session because I believe equity crowdfunding can be an effective capital formation tool for small business investment and growth in Minnesota.

Governor’s Budget

Governor Dayton released his budget this week, proposing a number of tax and spending increases across many areas of the state's budget.

A proposal that increases overall state spending by more than $1200 for every man, woman and child in Minnesota, Governor Dayton wants to raise taxes by $903 million and increase all-funds spending over the current biennium by a whopping $6.839 billion.

After raising billions in taxes in 2013 and with the state boasting a $1 billion surplus, it’s disappointing that his initial budget proposal takes millions more from taxpayers and Minnesota families.

The legislature will hear more about the governor’s budget proposal in the coming weeks when state agencies testify before committees. The House and Senate will be proposing their budget recommendations after the February forecast is released at the end of next month.

 

Please continue to send me your thoughts, ideas and suggestions. I can be reached at rep.jenifer.loon@house.mn or 651-296-7449. I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,


Jenifer Loon