Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Here is an update from the Capitol.
Survey
My 2015 Legislative Survey is available to take online, giving me another opportunity to receive feedback from constituents about important issues being debated at the State Capitol.
If you haven't done so yet, please take a moment to take my short survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Fenton2015
Also don't forget to share it with your friends and family in District 53B. Your input is valuable!
Budget Targets and Transportation Plan
Earlier this week, Republicans released their budget targets for FY2016-17, offering a different vision for state government spending over the next two years from the governor.
Unlike Governor Dayton's plan to spend $43 billion and increase General Fund spending by $3.7 billion over last biennium, House Republicans want to ensure that our state government isn't growing faster than your family budget.
The GOP plan includes:
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$39.949 billion in total General Fund spending
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$2 billion in tax relief for Minnesotans
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$100 million into the budget reserves
Additionally, earlier this week House and Senate Republicans also unveiled their ten year, $7 billion transportation proposal. Unlike Governor Dayton's plan which increases the gas tax by a minimum of 16 cents per gallon, costing a metro area couple with two cars at least $600 more per year, The Road and Bridge Act fully funds our transportation needs without taking more from taxpayers.
To rein in wasteful spending, The Road and Bridge Act requires the Minnesota Department of Transportation to find 15 percent efficiencies in the budget and requires the Metropolitan Council and the Counties Transit Improvement Board to fund Metro Transit operations themselves. Furthermore, it includes using a portion of the surplus to fund transportation and rededicates transportation related taxes to infrastructure maintenance and improvement.
Implementing these commonsense changes and dedicating certain monies to our roads and bridges means we don't have to increase the cost of driving for Minnesotans to ensure we're taking care of our infrastructure. In total, this $7 billion, future-looking plan will repair or replace 15,500 lane miles and 330 bridges statewide.
In the coming weeks, House fiscal committees will pass omnibus bills which will include funding for all areas of state government. If you have any ideas, questions or input about the budget or transportation spending, I welcome you to share them with me.
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As your voice in St. Paul, if I can be of any assistance to you or your family on a matter of state government, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Kelly
Don’t forget to “like” me on Facebook to learn more about what’s happening at the Capitol.