St. Paul, Minnesota — The Minnesota House of Representatives approved the Omnibus Tax Bill on Wednesday by a 69-64 vote. State Representative Joe Radinovich (DFL – Crosby) voted against the legislation.
Rep. Radinovich released the following statement on his vote.
“The House faces a $627 million budget deficit and we owe our schools $854 million. I believe we need a balanced approach to solve our state’s deficit and that new investments – especially in education – can build a stronger economic future. We cannot continue the same-old approach of the past decade where we only used cuts and gimmicks to balance the budget. That approach hasn’t worked and it has only ended up squeezing middle class families.
“The tax bill proposed by the Minnesota House did include many great provisions that would get our budget in order. It would fully pay back our schools, did not include shifts, gimmicks or the borrowing of the past, and provided significant property tax relief for middle class-Minnesotans.
“However, there were some items in the tax bill that I have significant concerns about. Many constituents expressed concerns on the tobacco and alcohol taxes and their impact on lower-income and middle-class Minnesotans.
“The House bill has now passed the floor and will go to a conference committee where the House and Senate will work out differences. I will work closely with my colleagues in the legislature to help bring an improved bill back to the floor. The input from people in our district throughout the session has been instrumental in guiding my decisions at the State Capitol and I hope to hear more on this bill.”
Rep. Radinovich encourages constituents to contact him with any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas on any legislative topic. Rep. Radinovich can be reached by phone at 651-296-2365 or by email at rep.joe.radinovich@house.mn. Constituents can also visit Rep. Radinovich’s legislative page and sign up for email updates.