Dear Neighbor,
Before we get to legislative news, I want to send wishes for a happy Mother’s Day to all who will be celebrating that holiday this weekend. And I want to take this opportunity to say that my Mom, Vivian Knoblach, could not have been a better mother for me growing up.
My work this past week mainly has revolved around the supplemental budget conference committee, which I co-chair. This committee is tasked with resolving the differences with most appropriation bills that have passed the House and Senate, including Education, Higher Education, Health and Human Services, Public Safety, Transportation, Environment, Jobs and Energy, Agriculture, and Transportation.
We had three nights of public hearings on the bill this week. We have several more days of work ahead of us, and may be in on Saturday having another hearing on the bill dependent upon the progress of work currently going on at the Capitol.
The tax bill is also in conference committee, being negotiated with the Senate. The House tax bill has the following major provisions:
- Helps middle-class Minnesotans keep more of what they earn by cutting the second tier income tax rate from 7.05 percent to 6.75 percent by tax year 2020. This would mark the first income tax rate reduction in Minnesota since 2000.
- Lowers taxes for people at all income levels by increasing the standard deduction from $13,000 to $14,000.
- Protects families by preserving a state personal and dependent exemption of $4,150
- Supports hometown businesses and farmers by reinvesting extra revenue from corporate tax changes into Section 179 conformity and overall rate reductions
- Conforming with many of the recent federal changes to simplify tax preparation
Overall, our plan would benefit 2.1 million Minnesota taxpayers and achieve our goal of holding as many Minnesotans harmless as possible as we adjust to significant tax changes recently adopted at the federal level.
As we continue working toward agreement on the supplemental budget and tax plans, here are some other jottings from this week at the Capitol:
Real ID
Minnesota has received federal assurance that, as long as requisite progress with Real ID implementation continues, traditional driver’s licenses will be sufficient to board domestic flights until Oct. 1, 2020. Due to language spearheaded by House Republicans this year, the governor is required by law to seek an extension once it becomes available. This ensures Minnesotans aren’t unnecessarily inconvenienced by the Real ID transition.
Roads and bridges
A constitutional amendment to dedicate revenue from auto-related sales taxes toward roads and bridges passed out of Transportation Finance Committee last month. After passing the House Taxes Committee early this week, it passed out of the Ways and Means Committee on Thursday and is headed for the House floor.
Hands-free devices
House legislation requiring hands-free devices for cell phone use while driving has received some media attention this week. H.F. 1180 cleared the Ways and Means Committee this week and now is available for a vote of the full body.
Opioids
The House Ways and Means Committee also passed out opioid bill out of committee on Thursday. This bill is a wide ranging bill aimed at reducing the number of deaths and addictions taking place because of improper use of opioid drugs. I expect it will be heard on the House floor early this coming week.
Preventing illegal protests
The House has approved a bill which increases penalties for illegal protests. Under current law, the act of blocking a highway, access to the airport, or transit is already a crime, this bill (H.F. 390) simply increases the penalties. There have been multiple instances in which highways and the MSP Airport have been blocked off illegally by protests. Governor Dayton told press earlier this year that he is open to legislation penalizing protests on freeways. The bill now is in the Senate’s hands.
Look for more budget news as negotiations progress at the Capitol. We expect a stretch of long days and nights over the next week or so and look forward to the results that await. Until next time, have a good weekend and best of luck if you get out for the fishing opener.
Sincerely,
Jim