Dear Neighbor,
The House’s 10 omnibus finance bills which will together make up the state’s next two-year budget have begun coming to the House for votes of the full body.
On Thursday, the House approved two omnibus finance packages. The tax bill came first, with $1.35 billion in tax relief over the next two years. The headline feature is a $270 million reduction on the state Social Security income tax, along with tax reductions on agricultural land and business properties.
The tax package also includes a provision I authored to help Melrose recover from a fire. My legislation would provide a total of $1.39 million in assistance and tax exemptions on rebuilding costs after several structures suffered damage when a significant portion of a city block burned last September.
Tax relief is a top priority for the House majority this session, so it is good to see our package receive approval relatively early in the session. This bill would be a great help in lessening the tax burden middle-class Minnesotans are feeling. I mentioned other details in this bill in last week’s email. Click here to see that.
The House also approved an omnibus bill pertaining to the environment and natural resources. A key provision would push back by one year (until 2018) enforcement of the buffer strips that are being implemented. As I have noted in previous emails and columns submitted to area newspapers, there are serious concerns over the implementation process. Allowing more time would be helpful to both the state and property owners to make sure things are in order before we start monitoring compliance.
Overall, the environment bill looks to improve government agency transparency through reforming the funding process of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency by requiring more detail on where and how efficiently funds are being used, and by reforming the permitting process of the Department of Natural Resources and the MPCA.
Some other headline items in the environment bill include:
- Improving the sustainability and productivity of the state’s timber industry
- Prohibiting the DNR from further restricting the use of lead shot
- Raising the criminal penalty for those who poach to the point of being grossly over limits
I will pass along more information as other finance bills come through the House. Until then, have a good weekend and stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Paul