Dear Neighbors,
After a busy finish to the legislative session, there’s lots of news swirling around about what did and didn’t happen. I want to keep you informed on what occurred over the weekend.
Middle-Class Tax Relief
Ever since we took the House majority in 2014, providing tax relief for Minnesotans has been a top priority. Near the end of session, we passed a package of $800 million over the next three years in tax relief. With our current surplus of $900 million, tax reform was a commitment that we delivered on to Minnesotans. Through our plan, middle-class families, military veterans, small business owners, and recent college grads will see a reduction in their taxes.
We passed this bill on a broad bipartisan vote of 123-10, and the bill is now at the governor’s desk awaiting a signature. He hasn’t signed the bill yet, but I hope he sees the bipartisan support, and the meaningful reforms for all hardworking Minnesotans.
Bonding and Transportation
On Sunday evening, we passed – again with bipartisan support – a bonding and transportation bill that would have spent $700 million on Minnesota’s roads and bridges. Unfortunately, once the DFL Senate got their hands on the bill, things changed dramatically. By putting politics ahead of the people of our state, the Senate tacked on an amendment to fund highly controversial light rail trains. Because of the amendment, the Senate killed a bill that would fund roads and bridges for all Minnesotans.
What’s more maddening; the Senate DFLer who authored the amendment took to Twitter, boldly proclaiming that he killed the plan because it didn’t include funding for more light rail. Since when is another train to Minneapolis a higher priority than road and bridge projects around the state? It’s extremely disappointing when lawmakers put political fights before good policy, and that’s exactly what the Senate DFL did on Sunday.
The governor has the option of calling a special session so we can pass this bill and provide funding for roads and bridges. I’d like to see Governor Dayton call a special session so we can simply pass the bills we agreed to near the end of session; it’s what Minnesotans want.
Please Contact Me
I’d love to hear any of your comments or concerns about the bills we passed. Please call or email my office, and I’ll get back to you.
Best,
Tony