Neighbors,
As we enter the weekend, I wanted to take a moment to update you on our budget bills, which we have been debating over the past week and a half. While debating these bills, I have continued to keep your thoughts in mind
Tax Relief for Minnesota Families
As I sit around our family table and talk to many of you in the district, it is abundantly clear that we are have been overtaxed. This week, the House voted to provide more than $2 billion of tax relief over the next biennium. A family of four can expect to save more than $500 of their hard-earned income under our plan, which includes an expansion of the education tax credit and a new tax credit for students with loan debt. You can see my speech on our tax relief bill here.
Making Wise Investments in Our Children’s Future
Our education bill refocuses spending to our children’s academic future, accounting for a $1 billion increase in education funding over the next biennium compared to last biennium’s budget. Even better, our bill gives more control back to our school districts to appropriate funds as they see fit, gives them greater flexibility to hire teachers who are passionate about their subjects, decreases testing and increases teaching, and empowers teachers to run their classroom in the way that best serves their students. I’m confident that our bill presents and education plan that provides a bright future for our next generation, and look forward to keeping a close eye on the conference committee process.
Protecting Public Safety
We passed our public safety bill this past week, which includes my proposal to allow the issuance of a permit to carry to be sufficient notification to the Commissioner of Public Safety that a firearm may be carried in the Capitol Complex by a MN permit to carry holder. This is a common sense solution to eliminate redundant and duplicative paperwork in order to carry on the Capitol complex. There have been ZERO reported incidents at the Capitol complex involving a law abiding, permit to carry holder. My bill removes a provision that could have caused law abiding permitted to carry Minnesotans to be charged with a felony by failing to notify DPS. Our public safety bill contains countless other proposals that ensure that all Minnesotans stay safe.
Investing in Transportation
Last week we passed our transportation budget, which includes the funds to repair roads and bridges in our community and across the state. In particular, our bill ensures that small cities have the funds necessary to expand and repair their transportation infrastructure. The bill also includes two of my proposals, which implement a Start Seeing Motorcycles license plate program and makes common sense reforms to state laws surrounding aerodynamic length limits. Our transportation bill improves upon our current transportation laws and accomplishes a great deal of funding without raising your taxes, ensuring that our state has stable funding source for decades and you get to keep more of your income.
Liquor Omnibus Includes My Bill
I’m proud to report that my bill to allow microdistilleries to sell bottles of their product at their distillery passed the House as a part of our Liquor omnibus bill. This bill will help J. Carver and other microdistilleries in our district and across the state better serve their customers, giving them flexibility to run their business more effectively. I’m thankful to my colleagues for their support of this issue, and am happy to report that the Governor has signed the bill.
As conference committees meet to deliberate the House and Senate versions of the budget bills for final presentation to the Governor, please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts and concerns. You can reach me via phone at (651) 296-5999 or via email at rep.jim.nash@house.mn.
Have a great weekend,
Rep. Jim Nash