Dear Neighbors,
I want to invite you to listening sessions hosted in our community by myself, Senator Barb Goodwin, and Representative Carolyn Laine. Both are taking place on Saturday, February 7th.
The first will be at:
10:00am
Anoka County Library in Fridley
410 Mississippi St NE
Fridley, MN
The second will be at:
1:00pm
New Brighton Community Center
400 10th St NW
New Brighton, MN
We are bringing people together to share information, ideas, and concerns. I hope you will be able to join us.
Tax Conformity Passes the House – What it means for you
This weekend Governor Dayton signed a “Tax Conformity” bill after rapid bipartisan work by the House and Senate. This issue pops up almost yearly at State Capitols around the country. To put it simply, the Federal Government frequently makes changes – big and small – to the federal tax code every year. State governments can align their tax code with these technical changes in order to make filing taxes in their state a little less complicated for their citizens.
We passed Tax Conformity in time to make filing this year a little easier and put another $20 million more in the pockets of hard-working Minnesotans. This builds on the $230 million in tax relief we passed for middle-class families last year.
Capitol Renovation
Work is underway to return a great portion of the
space in the Capitol to the public. Not only is the building having its
plumbing, heating, air-conditioning and technology infrastructure modernized,
but the building will be renovated to return it to its original intent as a
space for the people. There will be more space for the public to gather, more
modernized and accessible public hearing rooms, classrooms for the History
Center’s tours of the building, and finally –an appropriate number of public
restrooms for men and women. Additionally, steps taken to make the building
accessible for users of wheelchairs will be more integrated and not look like
last minute stop-gap measures. For a rundown of the improvements, here’s a news
story on the renovations and why they’re needed: http://tinyurl.com/pwvpglg.
How to Reach Me
As always, I encourage you to contact me directly with any ideas, concerns, or ways I can help you on state issues. I can be reached by phone at (651) 296-5510 or by email at rep.connie.bernardy@house.mn.
Connie Bernardy
State Representative - Fridley, New Brighton, and Spring Lake Park