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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Kathy Lohmer (R)

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Legislative Update 5-30-17

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Hello from St. Paul,

 

The 2017 Legislative Session has come to a close, and session has ended with a significant middle-class tax relief and long-term road and bridge improvement funding compromises being found with Governor Dayton

 

The $650 million tax relief plan is the largest tax relief proposal approved in two decades. It includes relief for senior citizens on Social Security. Under this proposal, nearly 284,000 senior citizen tax returns (single and married filing jointly) would receive tax reductions, 72,000 of those would no longer pay state income tax on their benefits. 65,000 students will soon receive a first-of-its kind tax credit for student loan payments.

 

Some of our working families will receive hundreds of dollars a year towards their child care expenses. And every Minnesota small business owner will receive property tax relief from an “extra” business tax.

 

The Legislature also made the largest investment in roads and bridges in a decade, putting billions of dollars over the next ten years towards the state’s transportation needs without raising any gas taxes or license tab fees. Instead of tax increases, the proposal uses $300 million of existing general fund resources to pay for improved road and bridge infrastructure.

 

In addition, there’s $25 million to fund over 97 bridges on MNDOT's priority list, $102 million for trunk highways, and $53 million for county and city roads.

 

We entered this session knowing that the taxpayers had once again paid too much to state government. In this case, more than $1 billion too much. With that in mind, we made a point of prioritizing tax relief for hardworking Minnesotans and making a long-overdue investment in road and bridge construction projects. Though negotiations with the Governor’s Office became difficult at times, I’m pleased all sides were able to come together and turn these goals into reality.

 

As always, I am interested in your feedback. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail at Rep.Kathy.Lohmer@House.MN or contact my office at 651-296-4244. You can also send mail to my office address: 501 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.

 

Talk to you soon,

 

 

Kathy

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