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Legislative News and Views - Rep. John Poston (R)

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Capitol Newsletter-Final Budget Highlights

Friday, May 26, 2017

Hello from St. Paul,

The number one priority of the Legislature is to pass a budget, we have done that. We were able to come to an agreement with the Governor that includes the largest tax relief bill in two decades focused on reducing the tax burden on farmers, seniors, students, and middle class Minnesotans, as well as a historic investment in roads and bridges without raising the gas tax or license tab fees. In total, the Legislature passed five budget bills during special session: Taxes, Transportation, State Government, Health & Human Services, and K-12 Education, as well as a $995 million bonding bill and a labor standards bill.

The tax bill includes more than $650 million in tax relief for 2018-2019 and $750 million for 2020-2021. The bill is focused on relief for seniors on social security, college graduates with student loan debt, families with childcare expenses, families saving for future higher education expenses, as well as for farmers and our local businesses. The bill also includes a $15 million increase for Local Government Aid and a $25.5 million increase for County Program Aid to help pay for local services in order to keep property taxes in check. The transportation bill invests an additional $300 million in transportation infrastructure over the next two years, as well as $16 million for small cities’ road projects and $25 million to repair or replace 97 bridges; a good bill for Greater Minnesota.

During regular session, the legislature passed budget bills for Public Safety, Higher Education, Jobs & Energy Affordability, Agriculture, and Environment & Natural Resources. Altogether, the legislature is sending ten budget bills to the governor’s desk for his signature. As bills become law, I will continue to provide updates on provisions within the bills that affect our district, or were provisions that I worked on during this session. 

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If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me at either 651-296-4293, or rep.john.poston@house.mn.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

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