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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Nels Pierson (R)

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RELEASE: Rep. Nels Pierson Statement on Tax Relief and Road and Bridge Bills

Monday, May 23, 2016

SAINT PAUL, MINN—The Minnesota House adjourned sine die Sunday evening, officially concluding the 2016 legislative session. The House and Senate passed several bills, including a tax relief package of more than $800 million over the next three years. The bill – which passed on a 123-10 vote – includes more than half a billion in permanent tax breaks for middle-class Minnesotans.

In addition, the Minnesota House passed a bonding bill on Sunday with $696.5 million in funding for roads and bridges on a bipartisan vote of 91-39. In a political maneuver, the Senate Democrat majority failed to pass the bonding and transportation bill and prevented funding from going to the following local projects:

  • $5 million for Rochester International Airport
  • $1.5 million for the Olmsted County Dyslexia Institute of Minnesota Facility
  • $85 million for Highway 14
  • $12.5 million for Small Cities Road Assistance, a new program established by House Republicans in 2015
  • Funds for Township Road Repairs

“Our tax bill helps give some of our $900 million surplus back to those who paid too much in the first place,” said Rep. Nels Pierson, R-Rochester. “The tax bill was a great first step, but I’m disappointed the Minnesota Senate blocked needed transportation funding for our area so they could advocate for another light rail train in Minneapolis.”

 

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