ST. PAUL, MN—On Friday, the Minnesota House of Representatives concluded the special session, passing the final bills that comprise the 2018-2019 biennium budget. In all, the legislature passed seven bills during special session: Taxes, Transportation, State Government, Health and Human Services, K-12 Education, Bonding, and Labor Standards.
“Although we have a divided state government, we were able to come together to deliver middle class tax relief, road and bridge funding, and aid to the health insurance market,” said Rep. Nels Pierson, R-Rochester. “Our session as a whole represents a compromise from both sides, and is a bipartisan way to help Minnesotans in every corner of the state.”
The Republican-led tax bill will mean more than $650 million in tax relief—the largest tax cut in nearly two decades—for Minnesota families in the 2018-2019 biennium and three-quarters of a billion dollars in tax relief in the 2020-2021 biennium. It includes relief for seniors on social security, college graduates with student loan debt, and property tax relief for farmers and Minnesota businesses. In addition, Republicans championed and the legislature approved the largest investment in road and bridge infrastructure in a state history without an increase in the gas tax or license tab fees.
During regular session, the legislature passed budget bills for Public Safety, Higher Education, Jobs & Energy Affordability, Agriculture, and Environment and Natural Resources. Altogether, the legislature is sending ten budget bills, a $995 million bonding bill, a labor standards bill to the governor’s desk for his signature.
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