Dear Neighbors,
I am honored to have once again been sworn in as your State Representative on Tuesday, January 3rd, and I am looking forward to continuing to serve you at the State Capitol.
This session I will serve on the Health & Human Services Reform, the Government Operations & Elections, and the State Government Finance committees as well as the subcommittee on Child Care Access & Affordability. These committees will give me the opportunity to make sure the health care needs of Minnesotans are addressed and taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.
Hitting the Ground Running
House Republicans have been hard at work already to deliver tax relief and to fix our broken health care system. On Thursday, the House unanimously passed the Tax Conformity bill that brings our laws into conformity with federal tax laws. Doing this so quickly not only saves Minnesotans headaches and hassle, but also delivers $21.7 million in immediate tax relief.
Also on Thursday we brought a bill to the floor to give direct health insurance premium relief to those who need it most. Democrats blocked immediate action on this bill which would have delivered $285 million in premium relief and $15 million to guarantee continuity of care for those undergoing critical and life-saving treatment, all from budget reserves.
Bills Introduced to Address Taxes and Transparent Government
As you can read in the Post Bulletin this week, I have introduced quite a few bills to address a wide variety of issues facing Minnesotans. A couple of the key areas my bills address include taxes and reforms to local government to make them more open and transparent:
HF40 – Will simplify the process for farmers to qualify for homestead property tax deductions. This will alleviate countless headaches that many in our community face.
HF54 – Will extend sales tax exemptions that already are in place for telecom services to internet service equipment. This exemption spurred companies to invest in rural areas for telecom services and this will have similar investment in rural areas with broadband internet.
HF61 – Will force local governments to have written procedures that are available upon request. This is a bill to forced government to be open, transparent, and ensure government is accountable to the people it serves.
HF70 – Will set standards for local governments and municipalities to retain electronic communications. This is another bill to encourage open and transparent government. Citizens should have the ability to see how and why certain decisions are made.
Please Contact Me
The Capitol has reopened and they did a tremendous job with restoring the beautiful and historic building. I hope you have a chance to make it to St. Paul to visit during session.
Please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts and ideas on the bills heard in committee and in session. You can schedule a time to meet with me in my office any time by calling my Legislative Assistant at (651) 296-9463, or share your thoughts via email by emailing me at rep.duane.quam@house.mn
Thank you for this great honor,
Duane