Dear Neighbors,
Now that we’re starting the busy time of the legislative session, it’s nice to have a day to come back home and spend more time in our area. Since my committees weren’t meeting last Friday, I was able to make it back to Carver County for a business ribbon-cutting, a meeting with Crown College, and last but not least a pork chop feed with the Carver Lions.
I always enjoy the time I can spend with residents of our area, whether it be in town or at the Capitol. We’re finishing up the legislative session in less than a month, so I hope you’ll continue to keep lines of communication open to talk about issues we’re facing. I’m in St. Paul to be your voice, and hope you’ll reach out with any question or suggestion you might have.
School Safety
Yesterday was an important day in the House as we passed our larger school safety and education legislation. As a father, the issue of school safety really hits home, which is why I’m supportive of our measures to give schools the flexibility and resources to address security concerns.
Along with the school safety provisions, my provision to establish a “VPSEO” pilot program in Waconia schools was also passed. The program would help students gain knowledge of trades or technical skills via internships and apprenticeships, all while gaining high school credit.
I’ve been working on this bill since last year because I think we can do more to help high school students gain technical skills before they graduate. Giving young people the tools to excel in our changing job market is critical to our future. There are plenty of good-paying jobs in technical and skilled work, we just need to help students gain the necessary knowledge and skillset to fill these open positions.
Tax Conformity
The benefits of the federal tax relief legislation have been noticeable and beneficial to Minnesotans. However, the new bill does create some complications, but we have a solution with our tax conformity proposal we unveiled this week. Our bill cuts taxes for middle class Minnesotans. Period. In total, 2.1 million Minnesota filers will see a tax cut thanks to our legislation.
As you might expect, the governor’s plan isn’t so kind to residents around the state. Despite having a budget surplus, Governor Dayton’s supplemental budget proposal would raise taxes on Minnesotans of every income level. This isn’t parody, though at this point it’s difficult to distinguish. Again, we have a budget surplus, there’s no reason for Dayton to want to raise taxes.
Local Visitor
Pastor Mike Gmetro of Freshwater Church in Waconia was our Chaplain of the Day earlier this week and brought his whole family with him. Each year I've been able to arrange for one of the pastors from our district to be a Chaplain of the Day.
Please Contact Me
As always, please continue to call or email if you have any questions; I’m here to help and serve you.
Jim