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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL)

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Session Video Update from Rep. Jim Davnie

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Dear neighbors,

It’s the beginning of another busy week at the Capitol.   I want to thank all of you that came out for our town hall last week with Sen. Patricia Torres Ray.  There was a great turnout and I always appreciate hearing from residents of our community and discussing my work at the Capitol for feedback.

If you were unable to attend, I wanted to take a moment to share some information about some of the bills I’ve been working on this year, as well as a short video update about the good property tax news our state has received in the last few weeks. 

Davnie Chief Authored Bills in 2014

PSEO Strengthened for at-risk students

  • This bill assists at-risk, but motivated high school students to finish high school and begin working on career degrees at Hennepin Tech at the same time.  The bill would allow them to use PSEO to pay for developmental classes they need to move into a career program.

Micro-distillery Tax Credit

  • This bill assists the emerging micro-distillery industry in the state and a new business in our district.  The bill would exempt small distilleries from some taxes to help this developing industry establish itself in Minnesota. We’ve provided similar assistance to the rapidly growing craft brewing industry, as well.

Preemption of pesticide laws to better protect honey bees

  • This bill would allow Minneapolis and other cities of the first class to regulate use, application, and disposal of harmful pesticides that may be contributing to bee deaths.  This bill is currently meeting stiff resistance from the agro-chemical industry.

Tax conformity for working families filing jointly

  • This bill provides a needed boost for the working family tax credit.  That means that working families will be eligible to keep more of the tax dollars they pay as part of their earned income in the form of an increased tax return.  The Working Family Credit along with the federal Earned Income Tax Credit are proven programs to support low-wage working families.

Standard Adult Diploma

  • The bill establishes new consistent statewide standards that make it easier for adults who didn’t graduate from high school to receive their high school diploma and attain employment.  Recent changes in the GED have resulted in the closure of many testing sites statewide.  Moving to a standard adult diploma would better meet the needs of adult learners, for instance, by allowing them to demonstrate what they have learned in life experience.

Downtown Minneapolis YWCA early childhood bonding

  • This is a bonding bill that will provide funds to improve the early childhood education offerings of the Downtown YWCA.  The YWCA works with a high percentage of low income children and gets a high percentage of these children ready for kindergarten.

Small winery locations expanded

  • This bill revises the current farm winery statute, changing farm wineries to “small wineries” and removing a requirement that these wineries be on agriculturally zoned land. The result is the allowance of wineries, similar to craft breweries, in cities.  This bill is facing stiff opposition from both the existing rural winery industry and a number of members of the larger industry.

Payday Lending

I’d also like to point out that I’ve co-authored a bill with Rep. Joe Atkins that imposes some necessary regulation on the payday loan industry to prevent abuses that have occurred on financially vulnerable individuals living in our community.  Recently, the faith community has gotten engaged on this issue adding a new dimension little present in the past when I have carried bills regarding payday lending.  Members of the faith community in our district are among the leadership of that initiative.  I’ll keep you posted on how that bill progresses.

Property Taxes:
 

Please click on the photo below for a short video update on property taxes and refunds:

 

 

I encourage you to see if you are eligible for the Homestead Credit Refund or Renter’s Credit. Some of you who may not have been eligible in the past may be eligible this year due to expanded refunds and credits. You can find more information on eligibility and how file for your property tax refund at the Department of Revenue website.

I’ll continue to keep you updated on the bills I’m working on and other events here at the Capitol as we continue to work on a final tax relief package with the Senate and Governor Dayton, as well as a minimum wage bill that will increase wages to $9.50 for low-income working Minnesotans.

I am honored to serve you in St. Paul.  I’m always available for questions and comments, and I can be reached at rep.jim.davnie@house.mn or 651-296-0173.

Sincerely,

Jim Davnie

State Representative