Dear Neighbors,
It was another busy week and we started off the week with Sovereignty Day at the Capitol. It was an educational opportunity for legislators and included tribal history, culture, sovereignty, and the interplay between federal, state, and tribal law. It was an honor to have the opportunity to listen and learn more from the leaders of the eleven sovereign tribal nations in Minnesota. Learn more about sovereignty day here.
Here are some other updates from the Capitol.
“Supercharged” Property Tax Refund - Benefiting Those Who Need it Most
- My bill to increase the maximum property tax refund for homeowners was heard in the Property Tax Division on Wednesday.
- It would increase the refund to $2,500 in 2023 if a homeowner's property taxes increase by more than 6% and $2,000 in 2024 and beyond if their property taxes increase by 8% or more. Under current law homeowners qualify for a $1,000 refund if their property taxes increase by 12% or more.
- Skyrocketing property taxes have greatly impacted communities across the state, hurting low income homeowners and seniors on fixed incomes particularly hard. My bill will help more homeowners afford these increasing costs!
Social Security Tax Hearing - Pushing for the Full Tax Cut
- This week the Taxes Committee heard the bill to fully eliminate the state tax on Social Security income. I advocated strongly to fully eliminate the tax.
- Having worked with seniors I understand just how tight many of their budgets are with the many expenses they face. Providing meaningful tax cuts for our seniors is an important goal of mine. I will use my role as the Vice Chair of the Taxes Committee to advocate for a solution that works for our seniors and our state as a whole by the time we adjourn in May,
- Watch my speech on the issue here.
Bill Hearings this Week - Cheaper by the Dozen!
- This week I presented a total of 12 bills! I’m doing all I can to advance legislation which benefits our community. Am I glad it’s Friday or what?! Here are some quick highlights:
- Making it easier for doctors and patients to communicate when a bad outcome occurs rather than clamming up in anticipation of a lawsuit (the CANDOR bill).
- Incentivizing the preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing by providing a tax credit to manufactured housing park owners when they sell their parks to the residents.
- Providing funding to the YWCA, Greater Twin Cities United Way, and the YouthBuild program to help young people successfully transition into the workforce.
Stay in Touch
Please feel free to reach out to me by email at rep.matt.norris@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-2907. If you have a friend, neighbor, or relative who wants to receive updates about the Legislature, let them know they can subscribe to my email list here, and follow my Facebook here. It’s an honor to represent our community. Please stay in touch!
Sincerely,
Matt Norris, District 32B
507 State Office Building
St. Paul, MN 55155