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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Bob Vogel (R)

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Update as Legislature adjourns

Friday, May 26, 2017

Dear Neighbor,

The 2017 Legislature completed its budget work and adjourned early this morning. The $650 million in tax relief and a significant increase in transportation funding we provided for the state’s next two-year budget are on top of the list of accomplishments.

Tax relief was a major focus of ours this session and that part of the budget is a signature achievement. This was a long process of negotiation and there was give and take. I don’t think anyone got everything they wanted, but $650 million in tax relief and $300 million more in funding for transportation in the next two years are things the House can hang its hat on this year.

A brief special session concluded with the final passage of bills that comprise the state’s 2018-19 budget. In all, the Legislature approved seven bills during special session: taxes, transportation, state government, health and human services, K-12 education, capital investment and labor standards.

The tax bill will mean more than $650 million in tax relief – the largest tax cut in nearly two decades – for Minnesota families in the 2018-19 biennium and roughly $750 million in tax relief in 2020-21. It includes relief for seniors on Social Security, college graduates with student loan debt, and property tax relief for farmers and Main Street businesses.

In addition, Republicans championed and the Legislature approved the largest investment in road and bridge infrastructure in state history without an increase in the gas tax or license tab fees.

The approach the House took is that our state already is collecting enough revenue to support our priorities as long as we are fiscally disciplined. Especially in the area of surplus tax collections, there is no need to raise taxes even further.

I’m happy the governor recognized this and got on board with the House’s plan to direct sales taxes already being collected on the purchases of auto parts toward roads and bridges. That is an appropriate use of those dollars and I am pleased we were successful in that course of action.

In total, the Legislature sent 10 budget bills, a capital improvement bill, and a labor standards bill to the governor for his signature. I encourage him to act quickly in signing them.

Next time I will provide more information regarding other parts of the budget and discuss some of the provisions I personally authored. Until then, have a good weekend, stay in touch and be safe over this Memorial Day holiday.

Sincerely,

Bob