ST. PAUL – State Representative Dave Hancock (R-Bemidji) said that at the beginning of the 2015 session, Minnesota House leadership promised to fight for the needs of Greater Minnesota. With all comprehensive funding proposals now approved, Hancock said the House has delivered on that promise.
"We have put our focus on Greater Minnesota because doing so not only helps our rural areas but our state as a whole," Hancock said.
What has the House done for Greater Minnesota and middle class Minnesotans so far? Hancock outlined some of the many approved provisions:
K-12 Education: Dedicated more money to rural schools, supported more local control.
Health: Provided largest funding increase for rural nursing homes in a generation; approved five percent rate increase for home and community-based services; dedicated funding for a mental health facility in Beltrami County.
Transportation: Dedicated $6 billion for state, county and municpal roads; $139 million for Greater Minnesota bus services; and allocated new street funding for small cities with populations under 5,000 – all without raising taxes.
Jobs and Economic Development: Supported broadband funding; provided grants for the Greater Minnesota Business Development Public Infrastructure; provided grants for Greater Minnesota businesses to train their workers; dedicated revenue to increase the affordability of propane in Greater Minnesota.
Agriculture: Solidified production ag research to improve yields and strengthen crops; provided funds to address the avian flu outbreak among poultry flocks.
Property Tax Relief: Addressed rural landowner concerns about school construction bond issues by cutting their property tax obligations in half; removed the state general tax for all business property which will greatly assist small town business owners.
Taxes: Approved dozens of provisions that provide middle-class Minnesotans with tax relief, including a new Minnesota personal or dependent tax exemption that could save a middle-class family of four more than $500 over the next two years; a phase out of the social security tax; an expansion of the education deduction to include preschool expenses; preventing military pay and pensions from being subjected to the income tax; and a new tax credit on principal and interest loan payments on student loans for college students.
Hancock added that next year's bonding bill could also include funding to construct veterans homes in Bemidji and Montevideo.
"Instead of raising taxes on rural Minnesotans and forcing them to grow a state government that's already significant in size, we are giving them tax relief and trying to prioritize spending in ways that will benefit them," Hancock said. "If we can grow the budgets of families in Greater Minnesota, we will ultimately grow our state's economy which is a true win-win scenario."