ST. PAUL, MN – Lawmakers in the Minnesota House of Representatives approved a major conference committee bill this week that creates jobs and funds economic development projects in northeastern Minnesota.
Rep. Tom Anzelc (DFL—Balsam Township) voted for the bill, which passed by a vote of 73-59. With the Senate passing the same bill this week, it now goes to Governor Dayton’s desk to be signed into law.
The Omnibus Jobs, Commerce & Housing budget bill (HF 729/SF 1057) utilizes proven strategies such as low-interest business loans and job training programs to stimulate economic development and put Minnesotans back to work.
“This bill creates good jobs for the people of northeastern Minnesota,” said Rep. Anzelc. “I’m pleased we passed a bold package. It’s not a piecemeal approach. It’s an all-of-the-above strategy that pulls out all the stops when it comes to job creation. I look forward to watching our Governor sign this critical legislation into law so can put more people back to work.”
The bill’s major job creation and economic development components include:
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$346 million in tax cuts for businesses, or $150 per employee for the average business.
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$30 million for the Minnesota Investment Fund (MIF) to provide financial incentives such as low-interest loans to out-of-state businesses thinking of setting up shop in Minnesota as well as in-state businesses thinking of expanding.
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$24 million for the Job Creation Fund (JCF) to awards grants to businesses that make a commitment to hire additional employees or make large capital investments.
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$4.6 million for the Minnesota Trade Office to help businesses build relationships overseas and sell goods in foreign markets.
Communities in Rep. Anzelc’s district will see direct impacts thanks to a provision in the jobs bill that creates a special fund financed by reserve taconite production revenue.
Those resources are allocated to help fund the following projects in District 5B:
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Parking lot repaving and construction of an eco-friendly heat transfer system to replace aging effluent lines for the City of Grand Rapids.
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West Range Regional Fire Hall and Training Center merger of existing fire services for Coleraine, Bovey, Taconite Marble, Calumet, and Greenway Township.
The bill also establishes a solar energy standard of 1.5 percent by the end of 2020 and creates an incentive program for the use of “Made in Minnesota” solar panels and equipment, which benefit solar panel manufacturers like Silicon Energy in Mountain Iron.
A provision authored by Rep. Anzelc includes a solar energy standard exemption for industries in northeastern Minnesota that meet certain criteria. The exemptions are as follows:
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Iron ore mining operations using more than 10 megawatts.
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Mineral extraction or mineral processing facilities.
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Paper mills that meet the definition of a “large customer facility,” where peak electrical demand is more than 20,000 kilowatts or consumer usage more than 500 million cubic feet or natural gas annually.
Rep. Anzelc encourages his constituents to contact him with any questions or comments about the jobs bill. He can be reached by phone at (651) 296-4936, by email at rep.tom.anzelc@house.mn, or by postal mail at 517 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.