Dear Friends,
Despite it being just the second week back at the Capitol, we've already passed our first bill of 2015 with unanimous bipartisan support. Yesterday, the House passed House File 6 which will help thousands of Minnesota families keep more of their hard-earned money thanks to $20 million in tax deductions through a process known as "tax conformity."
In order to give Minnesotans the ability to claim deductions on certain things like college tuition, out-of-pocket classroom expenses, and mortgage insurance premiums, Minnesota has to pass legislation to conform Minnesota's tax code to the federal code. Yesterday's bill does that, and now goes to the Senate where it will hopefully be passed as early as next week before going to Governor Dayton.
With Minnesotans starting to fill out their tax forms next week, this bill will make sure that people don't have to go through the hassle of amending and re-filing their tax returns to get all of the deductions they are entitled to. It's good to see both sides coming together to act quickly in the best interest of taxpayers, and I hope that spirit can continue through our work moving forward.
After yesterday's session officially concluded, the legislature stayed for a ceremony to honor retiring Chief Clerk Al Mathiowetz, who worked at the Minnesota House for 43 years.
In attendance were six former Speakers of the House as well as a number of other guests to honor Al. The Chief Clerk is responsible for keeping all of the trains running on time at the House, making sure that bills go through the proper legislative process, and that parliamentary procedure-the rules that govern how the House operates-are followed.
We will certainly miss Al, and I want to thank him for his many years of service to Minnesota.
Highlights from this Week
On Monday, January 12th, I stopped by Mrs. Smith's kindergarten class at Heritage Lutheran in Apple Valley. The visit was a part of my goal to visit all of the schools in our district, as it gives me the chance to talk to students about what it's like to serve in the legislature, but also talk with teachers and other school administrators about the work they do and what their priorities are for education policy on the state level.
On Wednesday, January 14th, I joined several of my colleagues at the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs Legislative Reception. It was great to chat with attendees about the Veterans Hiring Tax Credit bill I introduced last week to provide tax credits to businesses who hire out-of-work veterans, and to hear about their other legislative priorities. It's an honor to support our veterans for all of the sacrifices they have made for us.
Coming up
I wanted to let you know about an interesting event coming up on February 8 in St. Louis Park. Beth El Synagogue will be hosting Taya Kyle, the wife of the late Chris Kyle, the subject of the recently-released film “American Sniper.” She will be joined by Jim DeFelice, the co-author of the American Sniper book.
If you enjoyed the movie or have read the book this might be a great event to consider attending!
Proceeds from the event will help Beth El Synagogue support the 34th Combat Aviation Brigate, the 2nd Battalion, 147th Assault Helicopter, and the 204th Area Support Medical Company. Family members of those units can attend the event free of charge.
Full details of the event can be found at www.besyn.org/americansniper.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with your questions, concerns, and comments at rep.anna.wills@house.mn or by calling 651-296-4306. Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/annacwills and like my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/repannawills.
A reminder: House Offices will be closed on Monday, January 19th in honor of Martin Luther King Day. The legislature resumes its regular committee and floor schedule on Tuesday.
Have a great weekend,
Anna Wills
State Representative, District 57B