Friends,
It’s clear the end of the session is near when legislators get a second chance to debate the same bill. That means that the respective conference committees have completed their work.
One bill that falls under the category is “Tax Bill 2.” The tax conference committee has produced its final product. It provides $103 million in additional tax cuts to Minnesota homeowners, renters, farmers and businesses. We’ll take it up again next week.
If this tax bill becomes law, lawmakers will have provided $550 million in tax cuts this session – providing tax cuts for nearly 2 million Minnesotans.
This second tax bill will cut taxes largely through further property tax relief. Tax Bill 2 includes $45 million in targeted property tax relief to Minnesota homeowners, renters, and farmers.
Homeowners will receive a one-time 3 percent increase in their Homestead Credit Refunds in 2014. The average homeowner will see a refund of $837.
For renters, it means a one-time 6 percent increase in their Renters’ Credit Refunds in 2014. The average renter will see a refund of $643.
This comes on top of the $133 million in direct property tax relief passed in 2013 for homeowners and renters.
This property tax relief builds on the progress we made last year. The DFL-led Legislature responded to increasing property taxes last session by investing in significant middle-class property tax relief. As a result, property taxes will decrease this year for the first time in more than a decade. Homeowners, in particular will see a $161 million decrease in property taxes this year. Since property taxes have risen 86 percent for Minnesotans over the past decade, we were pleased to move forward with further property tax relief.
WESA redux
One of the session’s biggest bills – and one of its biggest accomplishments – came back this week. The Women’s Economic Security Act returned, and it earned bipartisan approval again.
This is just one of the many bills that will affect our lives for the better – especially for working women. It will:
· Allow mothers to stay in the workforce by expanding family leave and providing reasonable accommodations for pregnant and nursing employees.
· Decrease the gender pay gap through the participation of women in high-wage, high-demand occupations in fields such as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
· Reduce the gender pay gap through increased enforcement of equal pay laws for state contractors and by allowing employees to discuss pay inequities.
· Decrease the gender pay gap by reducing the “motherhood penalty” by requiring equal employment treatment regardless of “familial status” (pregnant women and parents and legal guardians of children under 18 who live with them) and allowing grandparents to use existing earned sick leave to care for an ill or injured grandchild.
· Address negative economic consequences of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault by expanding unemployment insurance eligibility currently available to victims of domestic violence to include victims of stalking and sexual assault and allowing employees to use existing earned sick leave to recover from sexual assault, domestic violence, or stalking.
This was a vote I was glad to cast – twice. It will make a huge difference in the lives of women.
A bill that will save lives
On Wednesday, we passed a bill that will allow a first responder, police officer or social service/community-based health worker to administer opiate antagonists to someone believed to be experiencing a drug or alcohol overdose. It also offers some immunity for people seeking medical attention for someone experiencing an overdose and for the overdose victim.
Naloxone is an FDA-approved drug that rapidly reduces the effects of opioid overdoses, primarily by restoring healthy breathing levels.
The bill is called “Steve’s Law,” after Steve Rummler, a Minneapolis man who became addicted to prescription drugs after a back injury. He died in 2011 of a drug overdose. His family turned that tragedy into a mission and created the Steve Rummler Hope Foundation, a group dedicated to heighten awareness of the dilemma of chronic pain and the disease of addiction and to improve the associated care process.
The Senate has passed the bill as well, and it waits for the governor’s signature.
Taxpayer Update
The Minnesota Department of Revenue announced this week that it will issue refunds or notify taxpayers no later than June 27 if they are affected by the 2013 tax law changes.
The tax law changes were completed on April 2, but the Department of Revenue estimates that about 260,000 returns that qualified for the middle class tax cuts were filed before that day.
It is important to note that income tax returns must be adjusted to reflect the correct income amount before taxpayers file a property tax refund. Therefore, the department is asking homeowners and renters who are affected by the 2013 tax law changes to wait to file their property tax refund claims. If you have not filed your property tax refund yet – wait. If you already filed, wait and do not amend at this time, the department will contact you after we begin reviewing property tax refunds.
For more information, go to www.revenue.state.mn.us and click on the orange “Tax Law Changes” button.
Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms!
Sheldon