Dear Neighbors,
It’s been a busy week in St. Paul as we’ve spent most of our time on the House floor debating and voting on a handful of supplemental budget bills. As is the case with many omnibus bills, each of these legislative packages has provisions that I would support if given the chance to vote on them as standalone bills. Unfortunately, I must consider the entirety of an omnibus bill when determining how I will vote.
Supplemental budget proposals in the areas of Legacy funding, agriculture finance, housing, broadband, state government, transportation, veterans, pensions, education, environment, and higher education have all been presented and approved by the House majority. The remainder of their supplemental budget will be debated in the coming days.
The House and Senate will then hash out the differences in their supplemental budget bills and reach a compromise agreement on final legislation.
As I look at the entirety of their budget proposal, the House majority is seeking to spend most of the state’s $9 billion budget surplus on growing the size of government.
In fact, the budget proposes $21 in new government spending for every $1 in tax cuts.
This is unacceptable.
All of us are struggling as inflation continues to impact our family budgets. We see it everywhere including grocery prices, gas prices, home heating/energy bills, and more. That’s why we need to put the surplus back in your pocket through permanent and meaningful tax relief.
Fighting for the Northland
During the debate on the environment bill, I offered an amendment to provide the funding needed to mitigate the imminent threat to public safety, property, and regional water quality from rising water levels at the Canisteo open pit mine.
DNR projects that we are getting dangerously close to high levels that could cause the pit to overflow and cause serious safety issues for communities, most specifically Bovey and Coleraine.
My original amendment allocated more than $6 million to address the issue. Unfortunately, House Democrats amending this to a lower funding number of $850,000. While I am disappointed that the dollar amount was moved down, this is nevertheless a step in the right direction.
Click here or the photo below to watch the discussion on the amendment from Thursday’s House floor session.
Staying in Touch
I will do my best to keep you updated on what’s happening in St. Paul. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you may have. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-4936 or via email at rep.spencer.igo@house.mn.
Have a great day,
Spencer