Dear neighbor,
Last night, the House took up the final version government healthcare exchange legislation. After passing the House, the Senate, and the conference committee, the bill actually got worse – I didn’t think that was possible! The most obvious glaring change was the disappearance of the provision that prohibited the government exchange from providing funding for abortions. While I strongly opposed the bill when it was first in the House, I had supported the amendment to ensure that abortion coverage was not included in the government exchange. To my shock, the bill came back with no protections for the unborn. Because this proposal will increase costs on consumers, offer fewer healthcare choices, and lacks adequate data privacy safeguards – not to mention the lack of protections for unborn life – I voted no on final passage of the bill. Unfortunately, it was able to pass with DFL support.
We also learned of the details of Governor Dayton’s revised budget proposal. Although the governor dropped his business-to-business tax and expanded sales tax proposal, he proposes to raise taxes by $1.8 billion including $1.1 billion of taxes on the two percent of earners, $30 million on snowbirds, and $317 million of taxes on cigarettes. This is only the tip of the iceberg. DFL legislators have proposed taxes on beer, snacks, cosmetics, energy rates, mortgages and deeds, auto insurance, electricity, frac sand, and gas. I’ve been very clear that I oppose imposing more taxes on our families and businesses. Governor Dayton seems to think he can continue to try to tax “the wealthy” and think that our business community won’t suffer as a result. We need more jobs in Minnesota – not more taxes.
I will continue to keep you updated as the legislative session moves forward. Please feel free to contact me on any state issue. I can be reached via email at rep.nick.zerwas@house.mn. To contact me by phone, call (651) 296-4237. Mail can be sent to Rep. Nick Zerwas, 303 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155.
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Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Nick