Dear Neighbor,
We are at the approximate midway point of the 2014 legislative session. Work at the Capitol will take a break next week as we spend time back in our home districts, meeting with local folks and taking part in Easter-related gatherings.
God bless you and your family on Easter.
It was an honor to attend the memorial for Dick Schultz on Tuesday. He was an outstanding public servant and an even better friend. Dick’s resume is quite lengthy, from town constable to firefighter, animal control, fire inspector, fire chief, fire prevention, housing and more. He retired as an Assistant Fire Marshal in 2004. Thanks for all you did for us, Dick!
As for news from the Capitol, here is a quick snapshot of recent events in St. Paul:
SENATE BUILDING
Recently passed House legislation will build a new Senate office complex that is completely unnecessary. There are plenty of suitable, more cost-effective alternatives that simply were not explored. Instead, the majority ignored public objections and put taxpayers on the hook for a $90 million Senate building. No wonder Minnesota recently was graded a D+ for transparency in spending. http://www.governing.com/news/headlines/gov-online-spending-transparency-state-grades-issued-2014.html. We deserve better than that!
BULLYING BILL
The House this week passed the final form of an anti-bullying bill. I firmly opposed it and most everyone believes in our policies already in place. It is astounding how seemingly well-intentioned folks rallied around emotion to pass a bill many do not understand.
We should not tolerate bullying in our schools, that much is a given. But some proponents of this bill seemed oblivious to the consequences and others just ignored them. The bill which passed opens up our schools to potential lawsuits, forces unfunded mandates on our districts, lacks parental notification requirements and due process, brings into question freedom of speech, and shifts local control to a Metro centric School Safety Technical Assistance Council. A Council that will cost taxpayers $500,000 a year to operate.
This one-size fits bill was never requested by our schools. I would rethink my position if they were on board. I would rather see local parental empowerment, budgetary flexibility and important decisions made by area families and trusted officials. Besides, we already have a law on the books that requires schools to have a policy on bullying. The Rocori district, for example, has done well in tailoring policy it deems appropriate.
BIPARTISAN PROPERTY TAX RELIEF
Last Friday, the House overwhelmingly approved a supplemental tax bill that sends $103 million back to taxpayers this biennium and $108 million in the next. Much of this is through property tax relief. For example, the homestead credit refund (formerly called the Property Tax Refund) for property taxes payable in 2014 is increased by 3 percent and the renter's credit is increased by 6 percent.
Several amendments offered by Republicans were included:
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An amendment to do federal conformity for the dependent care credit in 2013, saving 26,000 Minnesotans $80 on average per return. This amendment was adopted.
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An amendment to give a tax credit to first generation college graduates. This amendment was adopted.
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An amendment allowing R & D to be refundable. This amendment was adopted.
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An amendment to give grants to women-owned small businesses to help pay property taxes. This amendment was adopted.
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An amendment providing a credit to farmers who rent land. This amendment did not prevail.
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A sales tax refund to local government joint powers was not accepted.
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An exemption of social security from income taxes was not accepted.
Thank you for all the feedback I continue to receive on various issues. As I mentioned, the House will be on brief hiatus to observe Easter. We are in the process of tabulating responses from the recent legislative survey I conducted in the district and I will provide those results in my next update.
Good luck,
Jeff