Legislative Update (3-27-15)

Dear Neighbors,

Here is a recap of some of the important news from St. Paul this week.

Transportation Plan Unveiled

On Monday, Republican leaders unveiled our comprehensive, future oriented transportation proposal that will invest $7 billion in Minnesota’s roads and bridges over the next ten years without raising taxes.

The ten-year approach prioritizes road and bridge infrastructure through:

• Immediate repair of roads in Minnesota communities.

• Highway improvements for commuters and commerce.

• Reliable, long-term funding without raising taxes.

The Road and Bridge Act of 2015 creates a special fund called the Transportation Stability Fund that collects existing proceeds from dedicated tax revenues and deposits them into accounts for each of their dedicated purpose. There are five accounts that would dedicate a combined $3.078 billion over ten years:

• Road and Bridge Account – revenue from existing sales tax on auto parts
• Metro Capital Improvements Account – revenue from existing sales tax on rental vehicles
• Small Cities Account – revenue from existing rental vehicle tax
• Greater Minnesota Bus Services Account – revenue from 50% of existing Motor Vehicle Lease sales tax
• Suburban County Highway Account – revenue from 50% of existing Motor Vehicle Lease sales tax

In addition to these dedicated funds, our plan uses $1.3 billion in Trunk Highway bonds, $1.2 billion from realigning MNDOT resources, $1.05 billion in General Obligation bonds, and $228 million in General Funds.

Ultimately, our plan will repair or replace 15,500 lane miles and 330 bridges without raising taxes. I am hopeful that Governor Dayton and Democrats will show a willingness to take a step back from their proposed 6.5 percent gas tax increase and will join my colleagues and I in supporting a common sense solution to addressing our transportation needs.

Budget Targets Revealed

Also taking place this week was the release of our budget targets. Our General Fund budget target is $39.949 billion. The governor’s General Fund budget totals $43 billion, or $3 billion more than the House Republican target.

Here are the top line numbers:

• GOP General Fund Budget Proposal: $39.949 billion

• Money to Budget Reserves: $100 million – governor’s budget puts no money in reserves

Minnesota families’ budgets increased 12 percent from 2000 until 2013 while Governor Dayton’s proposed budget increases government spending by 75 percent from 2000 until today. In contrast, our budget target increases spending over the current biennium by 1.7 percent.

Ultimately, we believe that the government’s budget should not grow faster than Minnesotans’ family budgets.

Cars for Neighbors Event

I was fortunate to have attended a Cars for Neighbors event last week. Cars for Neighbors is a program for families in Anoka County that offers car repair assistance or donated cars, to qualifying families.

Here are a few photos from the event:

Constituent Visit

Constituents from NAMI stopped by my office this week. NAMI is an organization that advocates for increased mental health awareness. Thanks for stopping by!

Staying in Touch

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions, comments, or concerns on anything related to state government. It would be an honor to discuss your ideas on how we can make Minnesota better for everyone. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-1729 or via email at rep.abigail.whelan@house.mn. You can also stay up-to-date on everything that is happening in St. Paul by visiting my Facebook page and Twitter account.

Thank you and enjoy your weekend,

Abigail