Dear Neighbors,
Last week the 2014 Legislative Session started with a bang. I am honored to be back at our state capitol serving you. Intensity is high, but we are doing good work to benefit the people of Minnesota.
For example, we took swift action on Day One by approving additional financial assistance for our fellow Minnesotans hit with excessively high heating bills in the wake of propane shortages and price spikes.
A few days later, I joined my colleagues on the House Taxes Committee in approving a $500 million middle class tax cut package. It simplifies your taxes and makes them more user-friendly by enacting federal tax conformity, which would also get rid of burdens like the “marriage penalty.” According to the non-partisan House Research Department, eliminating the marriage penalty alone would save 650,000 families an average of $120 per year. Our tax cut package also eliminates three new business-to-business taxes.
The first week of Session ended on a good note when Minnesota Management and Budget released an updated budget forecast showing a $1.2 billion surplus for the current biennium. We also recently learned that property taxes for Minnesota homeowners are expected to drop statewide by $161 million thanks in large part to new investments the Legislature made in direct property tax relief.
Minnesota is in a much stronger position today than we were one year ago. We eliminated a $627 million deficit, repaid the “school shift” in full, and made smart investments in priorities like education and property tax relief. Employers added over 45,000 jobs last year and our unemployment rate is down to 4.6 percent – one of the lowest rates in the country.
I want to build on that progress by passing a strong bonding bill this year to create good jobs and spur economic development. I am aggressively advocating for bonding dollars to finance the 77th street underpass, a bill I’ve been working to pass since my first year in office. This project would take pressure off of I-494 and augment the Mall of America Phase II project and other development around the mall.
Please contact me with any questions, comments, or ideas as the 2014 Session continues. I am hopeful we will build on the progress Minnesota made over the past year.
Sincerely,
Linda Slocum
State Representative, District 50A (Richfield and Bloomington)