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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Tama Theis (R)

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Take My 2015 Legislative Survey

Friday, March 6, 2015

Dear Neighbors,

Your input is valuable to me, and I want to hear from you about important issues happening at the Capitol this session.

You can take my 2015 Legislative Survey by clicking the link below. Also, feel free to share this with your friends and family in District 14A!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Theis2015

February Forecast

Last week, the Office of Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) released the February forecast, which legislators will use to form a budget this session for FY2016-17. Minnesota's surplus is now projected to be $1.9 billion.

The good news with such a substantial surplus is that there is no need to raise the gas tax, fees or any other additional taxes to properly fund Minnesotans' priorities. Furthermore, I am hopeful that in addition to returning much of this money to you through the form of tax relief, a portion can also be dedicated to help take care of our seniors, disabled and nursing home and long-term care workers.

House Republicans will be releasing their budget targets for fiscal committees in the coming weeks, better detailing our priorities and how dollars should be allocated among the various areas of state government.

House File 607

This week in the Health and Human Services Reform Committee, my bill HF 607 which prohibits funding for state-sponsored health programs from being used to fund abortions was heard and passed.

Protecting life is very important to many Minnesotans, and they want to be assured that their tax dollars are not spent on abortions.

This legislation's next stop will be the Health and Human Services Finance Committee.

House File 539

Next week in the Commerce Committee, they will be hearing my bill HF 539. This bipartisan legislation will modify the building code, allowing it to be updated every six years and ensuring builders have a twelve-month implementation period before enforcement. It also requires free copies of construction codes to be made available and delays the effective date for the International Residential Code.

If signed into law, this legislation will make it easier for builders to do business in Minnesota.

Governor in St. Cloud

On Friday, Governor Dayton and Transportation Commissioner Zelle stopped by St. Cloud's Department of Transportation. A top transportation priority for our area is expanding I-94 to three lanes in and out of St. Cloud. I will continue to work hard to get that project passed and funded.

St. Cloud Apollo Hockey Team

Congratulations to the St. Cloud Apollo Boys' Hockey Team for making the state tournament. They are a talented group of young men, and are doing a wonderful job of being student representatives of our community.

Good luck boys! We are all pulling for you to do well and are proud of your accomplishments!

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As always, I welcome your input on legislation and want to hear more about issues important to you. Please don’t hesitate to schedule a meeting, call my office or send me an email. I am here to serve you!

It’s an honor to be your voice at the Capitol.

Sincerely,

Tama