ST. PAUL, MN – Today, state lawmakers kicked off the 2014 Legislative Session. State Representative Jeanne Poppe (DFL – Austin) said she is pleased to be back at the capitol to build on the progress Minnesota made in 2013.
“Overall, our economy is moving in the right direction, but we need to help Minnesotans who haven’t felt the recovery,” said Poppe, who identified some of her top priorities as repealing a new tax on farm equipment repairs, cutting middle class taxes by enacting federal tax conformity, and passing a strong bonding bill that creates jobs by repairing and improving state assets like roads, bridges, and buildings at Minnesota’s public colleges and universities.
In her first vote of the 2014 Legislative Session, Poppe supported $20 million in additional funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help Minnesotans impacted by the ongoing propane crisis.
In January, the Commerce Department increased LIHEAP Crisis payments from $500 to $1,000 for eligible Minnesotans currently heating their homes with propane and heating oil. In addition, Governor Dayton expanded eligibility requirements to households earning up to 60 percent of the state median income (up from 50 percent).
The first bill authored by Rep. Poppe of the 2014 Session would repeal a new tax on farm equipment repairs.
“I think we should remove the economic hardship that tax puts on Minnesota’s farmers,” said Poppe. “Thanks to a new honestly balanced budget and a projected surplus, we can pay for the cost of that tax relief while maintaining a structurally balanced budget into the future.
Poppe added that Minnesota’s positive budget outlook gives lawmakers good reason to increase the agricultural market value homestead credit to provide additional tax relief for farmers, ranchers, livestock producers, and agri-businesses in rural Minnesota.
Minnesota Management and Budget is set to release an updated state budget forecast on Friday, February 28. State lawmakers will use the new projections to craft supplemental budget proposals such as tax relief legislation. The most recent budget forecast, released last December, showed a projected budget surplus of $1.08 billion.
“I’m hopeful we’ll receive some good news when the new forecast comes out later this week,” said Poppe. “If the surplus holds, we can take some serious steps to support our family farmers and communities in rural Minnesota.”
Rep. Poppe encourages her constituents to contact her with any questions, comments or other feedback during the 2014 Session. She can be reached by phone at (651) 296-4193, by email at rep.jeanne.poppe@house.mn, or by postal mail at 487 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.