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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Nick Zerwas (R)

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Legislative Update (April 27, 2018)

Friday, April 27, 2018

Dear Neighbors,

School Safety

Yesterday was an important day as we passed our school safety and education proposal. The bill focuses heavily on keeping students safe with a number of measures including giving schools flexibility to address security concerns, creating threat assessment teams, and increasing funding for Safe Schools Revenue.

Heading into this session, increasing school safety was near the top of our list of needs in our state. The passage of our safety-focused bill yesterday is a step in the right direction of creating a safer learning environment for students, teachers, and staff.

Tax Conformity

The other big item from this week was the unveiling of our proposal to conform to the new federal tax code. While Governor Dayton’s supplemental budget would increase taxes on Minnesotans of every income level, our plan cuts taxes for the middle class and gives 2.1 million Minnesota tax filers some needed tax relief. Some of the highlights include:

  • Helping middle-class Minnesotans keep more of what they earn by cutting the second tier income tax rate from 7.05% to 6.75% by tax year 2020. This would mark the first income tax rate reduction in Minnesota since 2000.
  • Lowering taxes for people at all income levels by increasing the standard deduction from $13,000 to $14,000.
  • Protecting families by preserving a state personal and dependent exemption of $4,150.
  • Encouraging affordable homeownership by allowing a state-itemized deduction of up to $30,000 in property taxes.
  • Supporting hometown businesses and farmers by reinvesting extra revenue from corporate tax changes into Section 179 conformity and overall rate reductions.

One of my favorite provisions in the bill would be a big benefit for charitable gambling. Simply put: we'll let charities keep more of the money they bring in. Our local charitable organizations do such great work in our communities, and our proposal would help further their reach.

Please Contact Me

We have just over three weeks left of session, and I hope you’ll continue to call and email me so we can talk about your priorities. Lots will be happening in the coming weeks, and it’s always helpful to know your opinion on state issues.

Enjoy your weekend,

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