Dear Neighbors,
As we enjoy the summer weather this weekend, please take a second to remember those who’ve fought and died for our country. Between grilling, spending time at the lake, and kicking off summer, it can be easy to forget why we honor Memorial Day. The men and women who perished for our freedoms deserve our utmost respect and admiration.
Session Concludes
On Sunday, we finished the 2018 legislative session by passing our major bills to cut taxes, increase school funding, combat the opioid epidemic, and improve care for aging Minnesotans. Unfortunately, Governor Dayton vetoed all of these provisions, choosing instead to put his ego first.
I’m disappointed, though not surprised, that Governor Dayton would put his personal pride before the needs of Minnesotans and veto our efforts toward bipartisan compromise. In the legislature, we’ve continually looked to lower taxes, fund schools, and care for our elderly and disabled Minnesotans. Despite lofty rhetoric of wanting to do the same, the governor showed his true intentions by vetoing our bills. Sadly, this type of erratic, vindictive behavior has become par for the course in his time in the governor’s office.
What’s even more frustrating was his inability to even name the reasons for his veto. Here’s a clip from his press conference where he can’t even come up with quality reasons that would cause him to throw away all these good provisions.
The governor’s decision will have a lasting, negative impact on Minnesotans like:
- Victims of elder abuse
- Victims of opioid addiction, and medical professionals
- Victims of distracted driving
- Special education and Head Start students
- People dealing with MNLARS hassles
- Deputy registrars whose businesses are floundering after MNLARS
- People who need mental health support, particularly farmers and students
- Farmers and agribusinesses that need Section 179 conformity for equipment depreciation
- People who live in rural areas without high-speed internet
- Students who need help to afford college
- People who need job training and businesses that need skilled workers
- K-12 students who won’t benefit from school safety funding
- All taxpayers who will have difficulty filing their taxes next year
- Voters concerned about election security
- Minnesotans concerned about privacy, data breaches, and cyber security
- CPAs and tax professionals who will be dealing with very complex tax filings
- Parents looking to find the best school for their children
- Low-income working families who rely on federal child care subsidies
- New teachers who need licenses, and schools who want to hire them
- Children enrolled in Head Start programs
- Schools that need adjustments to fully fund special education
- Patients who care about transparent pricing for health care and prescription drugs
- People with disabilities, and their caretakers, who would be affected by a 7% cut to the Disability Waiver Rate System
- Startup businesses that depend on the Angel Investor Tax Credit to grow
Public Safety Bill Vetoed
Last weekend, Governor Mark Dayton announced a veto of my bill to increase penalties for those convicted of blocking access to a highway, an airport, or public transit. The legislation, HF390, passed with bipartisan support in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, including support from the Senate Minority Leader.
It’s extremely disappointing to see the governor flip-flop on this issue; from stating that shutting down highways put "public safety at serious risk," to vetoing a bill that received bipartisan support in the legislature. It’s yet another example of Dayton bending to the will of fringe activists rather than listening to every day Minnesotans.
Sadly, the folly of his veto came to light this week as protesters blocked the Blue Line LRT near Fort Snelling. The protest is the latest example of why we need increased penalties for those who choose to put the public at risk by blocking highways, the airport, or access to transit. Governor Dayton’s veto of my bill allows for this unsafe, criminal behavior to continue with little more than a slap on the wrist for those who take part. With his veto, the governor aligned himself with these fringe activists and encouraged this illegal activity. It’s frustrating to see political pandering take priority over the safety of Minnesotans.
Bonding Projects
I never know what to expect from the governor, but I hope he signs our bonding bill into law. This legislation contains $1 million for the Big Lake waste water treatment plant and $1.5 million to dredge Lake Orono. The inclusion of the Big Lake waste water treatment plant and the Lake Orono dredging project in our bonding bill is great news for our area. Our local officials and residents have helped to push for these needed dollars, and I look forward to these projects being completed if this bill is signed into law.
Please Contact Me
Though we’ve concluded the legislative session, please feel free to contact me at either rep.nick.zerwas@house.mn or 651-296-4237. I’m here to help in any way I can.
Have a great weekend,
