Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We have entered the final weekend of the 2019 legislative session without a budget agreement between the GOP Senate, DFL House, and Governor Walz. All three leaders have spent much of the last week and a half in closed-door negotiations trying to reach compromise on a budget deal.
Because the budget negotiations are happening behind closed doors, I have little to no information to share with you.
What I do know is that House Democrats and Governor Walz have refused to make any reasonable, public, concessions on their tax proposals. In fact, Democrats are still seeking to raise taxes by more than $12 billion over the next four years.
This radical proposal is coming at a time when the state has a $1 billion budget surplus and tax revenues continue to come in higher than projected.
Simply put, these sorts of taxes are not needed. Period.
I’ll share more information with you as it becomes available.
Upcoming Town Hall Meeting
I will be hosting a series of Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council informational meetings in our area on June 4th.
The purpose of the meetings is to provide an overview of the state’s Legacy Conservation Funds and to discuss how local officials, groups and interested parties can possibly use these funds to help with local conservation and environmental efforts or initiatives.
This is the 11th year the Outdoor Heritage Fund (OHF) and the Clean Water Fund (CWF) have helped pay for conservation and clean water restoration projects in Minnesota.
OHF money is dedicated to projects that “restore, protect, and enhance wetlands, prairies, forests, and habitat for fish, game, and wildlife.”
CWF money is dedicated to projects that “protect, enhance, and restore water quality in lakes, rivers, and streams.”
Each year the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council and Clean Water Council review requests for funding submitted by government units, agencies, conservation organizations, and other groups and then make recommendations to the Minnesota Legislature for appropriation.
Kathy Varble, the DNR’s coordinator of the Conservation Partners Legacy Grants, Paul Gardner, the Administrator of the Clean Water Council, and Mark Johnson and Joe Pavelko, of the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council will join me at the meetings.
The meeting times and dates are as follows:
Princeton
9:30 am.
City Hall
705 N 2nd St, Princeton, MN 55371
Milaca
11:30 am.
Courthouse
225 6th Ave SE, Milaca, MN 56353
Isle
1:30 p.m.
City Hall
285 2nd Ave S, Isle, MN 56342
For more information about the OHF and how to request funding, visit the LSOHC website.
Staying in Touch
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me to share your thoughts and concerns regarding budget negotiations or any matter related to state government. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-6746 or via email at rep.sondra.erickson@house.mn.
Have a great weekend,
Sondra