To the editor of the Grand Rapids Herald-Review:
This week marked the beginning of the 2014 Legislative Session. I’m pleased to be back at our state capitol doing the people’s work.
We took swift action on the first day of Session by unanimously approving $20 million in financial assistance for Minnesotans struggling to heat their homes in the midst of the ongoing propane crisis. Those dollars will do a lot of good for the families in northern Minnesota hit hardest by an alarming spike in their heating bills.
Bonding bills are the traditional focus of even-year Sessions and this year will be no different.
I’ve authored legislation to finance the renovation and expansion of the Reif Performing Arts Center, make upgrades at Itasca Community College to benefit our students, and improve basic infrastructure in Coleraine, LaPrairie, and Deer River. A large bonding bill that creates good jobs for the people of northern Minnesota remains my top priority for this year’s Session.
Lawmakers received an updated budget forecast this week showing a surplus of over $1.2 billion, which means we will be able to provide additional tax relief for individuals, families, and businesses while maintaining a fiscally responsible and structurally balanced budget into the future.
As a member of the Taxes Committee, I approved a $500 million tax cut package this week that repeals three new business-to-business taxes and cuts taxes for middle class Minnesotans by enacting federal tax conformity, which simplifies the filing process and gets rid of unnecessary burdens like the “marriage penalty.” Eliminating the marriage penalty alone would reduce taxes by an average of $115 per year on 650,000 tax returns according to the nonpartisan House Research Department.
Another issue near and dear to my heart is making sure we move forward with a minimum wage increase to help hardworking Minnesotans provide for themselves and their families. I’ve got a bill that would put a constitutional amendment on this year’s ballot and let Minnesotans decide whether to raise our minimum wage to $10 per hour in 2015 and tie future increases to the rate of inflation. It’s a way for the people to bypass the political gamesmanship and partisan bickering that has prevented our Legislature from making progress on this issue for far too long.
It is a true honor to be working on your behalf at our state capitol. I’m optimistic we will build on the progress Minnesota made last year and help individuals, families, and businesses in northern Minnesota who are not sharing in the economic recovery as much as they should be.
Please contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns as the 2014 Session continues. You can reach me 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.
Sincerely,
Tom Anzelc
State Representative, District 5B