Dear Neighbors,
Session Concludes
We completed the legislative session on Sunday, and passed our major bills. I was proud of our legislation. The legislature passed measures to make filing taxes easier and provide relief for 2.2 million filers. We also increased school funding, addressed the opioid epidemic, and worked to help those struggling to deal with MNLARS.
We addressed almost 70% of the governor’s concerns with our supplemental budget in a good-faith effort to compromise. In the end, meeting more than halfway wasn’t good enough for Dayton who vetoed our tax and school funding bill, as well as our supplemental budget.
I’ve come to expect very little from Governor Dayton when it comes to putting Minnesotans before politics, but this might be a new low. Our work toward finding a bipartisan compromise would have lowered taxes, increased school funding, and helped hardworking deputy registrars who are struggling to keep their small businesses afloat. What’s startling is that despite these great provisions, the governor had difficulty recalling why he was actually vetoing the budget bill. Click here to see the clip from his press conference; it’s unbelievable. In the end, the ego of our governor won out over the needs of Minnesotans.
And when you start to look at it, it’s Minnesotans who pay the price for these vetoes. People like:
- Victims of elder abuse
- Victims of opioid addiction, and medical professionals
- Victims of distracted driving
- Special education and Head Start students
- People dealing with MNLARS hassles
- Deputy registrars whose businesses are floundering after MNLARS
- People who need mental health support, particularly farmers and students
- Farmers and agribusinesses that need Section 179 conformity for equipment depreciation
- People who live in rural areas without high-speed internet
- Students who need help to afford college
- People who need job training and businesses that need skilled workers
- K-12 students who won’t benefit from school safety funding
- All taxpayers who will have difficulty filing their taxes next year
- Voters concerned about election security
- Minnesotans concerned about privacy, data breaches, and cyber security
- CPAs and tax professionals who will be dealing with very complex tax filings
- Parents looking to find the best school for their children
- Low-income working families who rely on federal child care subsidies
- New teachers who need licenses, and schools who want to hire them
- Children enrolled in Head Start programs
- Schools that need adjustments to fully fund special education
- Patients who care about transparent pricing for health care and prescription drugs
- People with disabilities, and their caretakers, who would be affected by a 7% cut to the Disability Waiver Rate System
Met Council Reform Passes
Prior to the end of session, the House and Senate re-passed my legislation to reform the Metropolitan Council to make it more accountable to Minnesotans. Now approved by the House and the Senate, we’re waiting to see if the governor will do the right thing and sign it into law.
Currently, Met Council members are only appointed by the sitting governor. The bill would require locally elected officials to be on the council, stagger terms of members, and eliminate the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB).
This legislation would put the Met Council in line with every other Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in the country by requiring locally elected officials to be part of the board. The Met Council is in charge of billions of dollars and has the ability to levy taxes on citizens who have no avenue of recourse if they disagree with these decisions. By putting local elected officials on the Met Council, Twin Cities residents have a way to hold their officials accountable, rather than the current format where Met Council members only answer to the governor.
Put simply, this bill is about good governance for Minnesotans. I encourage Governor Dayton to sign this bill into law to help give area residents more input in these important regional decisions, and provide accountability for the unelected Met Council.
Teacher of the Year
As we’re closing out the school year, it’s important to thank all of our teachers for their work. We are so fortunate to have amazing educators in our state and in our area. One such teacher is Jordan fourth grade teacher Sarah Fritzke. Recently, Sarah was honored by Fox 9 as a Top Teacher. Congrats, Sarah, and thank you for being an exceptional influence on our young learners!
Memorial Day
Sometime this Memorial Day weekend, please say a prayer for those brave men and women who’ve lost their lives fighting for our country. This type of selfless service is difficult to imagine for many of us, and we’re so thankful for the countless sacrifices to ensure our freedoms.
Have a good weekend, and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need anything.
Tony