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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Peter Fischer (DFL)

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Legislative Update: Lawmakers Taking Swift Action to Keep Minnesota’s Economy on the Right Track

Monday, March 17, 2014

Dear neighbors,

Lawmakers at our state capitol are taking swift action on legislation that keeps Minnesota’s economy on the right track and makes sure more individuals, families and businesses share in our recovery.

We continue to see more signs that our economy is growing stronger. For example, a new report from the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) shows that employers added 600 jobs in January – marking six straight months of job growth. Our total employment is now over 2.8 million, the first time in state history.

I encourage you to take a moment to read more about some of the big priorities we tackled during the first few weeks of the 2014 Session. You can also click here or below to watch video version of this legislative update.

$500 million tax cut for middle class Minnesotans and small businesses:

Thanks to a $1.2 billion budget surplus, we are in a position to cut taxes for middle class Minnesotans and small businesses while maintaining a structurally balanced budget into the future.

That’s exactly what House lawmakers did during just our second week back after the state capitol.

I joined my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to approve a $500 million tax cut package that repeals three business-to-business taxes and conforms our state tax code to the federal tax code, which simplifies the filing process and cuts taxes for nearly one million Minnesotans including married couples, low-income families, students and parents paying for college, and Minnesotans who recently bought or sold a home.

The bill currently awaits a vote in the Senate. I am hopeful we can quickly send Governor Dayton a final bill so middle class Minnesotans and small businesses can count on additional savings. Taxpayers are filing their returns right now, so time is of the essence.

Additional funding for school lunch program unanimously approved:

Last week House lawmakers unanimously approved additional funding for our state’s school lunch program, ensuring that no child is ever denied a hot lunch at school due to the inability to pay.

We took swift action in response to a report showing that some students were being denied meals and unfairly singled out in front of their classmates with hand stamps visible to all that say “LUNCH” or “MONEY.”

Over 60,000 children in Minnesota will benefit from this legislation.

‘Unsession’ bills cut red tape, streamline state government:

Lawmakers are working quickly to pass legislation that cuts red tape and streamlines state government, an initiative Governor Dayton coined as the “Unsession.”

Committees have been discussing bills that eliminate outdated laws, clean up and simplify language in statute books and streamline environmental permitting, rulemaking and more.

These are the kinds of simple steps we can take to more our state government more efficient and user-friendly.

Stay in touch:

Please give me a call at (651) 296-5363 or send an email to rep.peter.fischer@house.mn to share any questions, comments or ideas.

I also encourage you to attend an upcoming town hall meeting I’m holding with our Senator, Chuck Wiger, on Saturday, April 5 to learn more about our progress on addressing our region’s water shortages and to share your feedback about the 2014 Session. Details are still being finalized, but I will send a follow up email with the start time and location soon.

I look forward to sharing more updates with you as the 2014 Session continues.

Sincerely,

 

Peter Fischer
State Representative, District 43A