Hi everyone,
As we approach the deadline to hear bills in committee, I have been working tirelessly to put proposals forward that will help our communities. One of those proposals will help the city of Eagan encourage quality redevelopment at the former Lockheed Corporation property.
During a committee meeting we had leaders from the city of Eagan at the capitol to testify in favor of this bill. It would grant TIF authority to the city of Eagan for the site at 3333 Pilot Knob Road. This will allow the city to encourage a new development on this site that will create more jobs for our local economy.
With a recovering economy, adding jobs is even more critical. Which is why I’m so pleased that Governor Dayton dropped his business to business tax from his budget proposal. I personally expressed my concerns about the business to business taxes to the Governor and I’m happy to see that he listened to my concerns and those of many Minnesotans.
The House DFL Caucus released our own budget targets this week and I’m pleased with the direction they are going. These targets are only an outline for how we want to prioritize various categories of programs across the state, so the specifics have yet to be worked out in terms of where each individual dollar goes. But what the targets do show is commitment to education (increase in funding for early education, k-12 schools, and higher education) and local communities (increase in Local Government Aid and County Program Aid), not to mention a $46 million increase in jobs and economic development funding over the previous budget. All of these priorities will help create jobs and strengthen our economy. And when the economy is strong, we are in a much better place to support other critical programs across the state.
So as we approach our Easter/Passover break I’ll be working hard to bring proposals forward that support the working families in Eagan and Burnsville. And if you have any questions or ideas about work being done at the capitol, please feel free to contact me by email (rep.sandra.masin@house.mn) or by phone (651-296-3533)
Rep. Sandra Masin