Dear neighbor,
Last week we received good news from the Minnesota Office of Management and Budget. Our projected deficit for the next biennium has shrunk from $1.1 billion to $627 million – an improvement of $463 million. I believe this is a direct result of the previous legislature’s budget agreement that did not raise taxes. I hope the Democrats will take this as an opportunity to reconsider the middle class tax increases they have proposed.
Yesterday, the House took up the Health Insurance Exchange bill on the House floor. This bill has no guarantees of lowering healthcare costs for consumers or the state, providing better quality of care, or expanding access. Furthermore, I have deep concerns about the data privacy issues in this legislation. I also do not believe an unelected and unaccountable seven-member board should be authorized to be making decisions relating to healthcare coverage for individuals. I voted no on the final passage of the bill.
One proposal that I’m keeping my eye on is the childcare unionization bill. Childcare providers are small business owners and the pre-school aged children they care for do not deserve to be caught up in a political power grab to benefit union leadership and their partisan activities. I firmly oppose any attempt to forcibly unionize these small business owners.
I also co-authored two new bi-partisan bills. The first, House File 1092, helps to shield farmers and small business owners from excessive inheritance taxes. The other, House File 1097, offers a tax credit on college loans if the student stays in Minnesota to work after they graduate.
Last week, I met with Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek to discuss public safety issues facing the state. I also met with some members of the Wright County Soil & Water Board. I appreciate hearing the perspective from county officials on how state policies affect what they do on the county level.
I also attended the “St. Cloud on the Hill” reception on Wednesday night. I enjoyed speaking with St. Cloud-area legislators and local officials, we have a lot of common ground and share the high priority of I-94 expansion.
On Friday, I met with Judges Hasley, Strand, Tenney as well as Court Administrator Peggy Gentles and other staff members at the Wright County Courthouse. It was great to see the innovation taking place and I appreciated getting the perspective of our judges and staff.
Finally it was exciting to join many STMA fans to cheer on the Varsity Wrestling team as they became state co-champions on Thursday night. Congratulations to Coach Lefebvre, the other coaches, and each of the wrestlers, they made the community proud.
As your voice in St. Paul, I am interested in your feedback. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail at Rep.David.Fitzsimmons@House.MN or contact my office at 651-296-1534. You can also send me mail to my office address: 227 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family, friends, and neighbors so they can sign up and stay in touch.
Sincerely,
David