Dear Neighbor,
It’s good to be home after the legislative session adjourned at midnight Sunday. I have been busy trying to get caught up in the fields for what we can only hope is a productive growing season.
As for news from St. Paul, the governor on Wednesday vetoed the supplemental budget bill and the tax conformity/school funding bills, moves that are very disappointing and surely will be detrimental to Minnesotans. Among the things he blocked include the first income tax cut in nearly two decades, funding to help deputy registrars hurt by the MNLARS mess, funding to help avert a 7-percent cut for disability services, school safety funding, and more.
This is going to be problematic for people in our state. Tax filings will be significantly more difficult next year. Ag-related provisions I authored are among those Dayton vetoed. That includes on measure to provide co-owners of ag property with homestead treatment. Of more widespread impact is the loss of a measure to provide Section 179 sales tax relief for equipment purchases.
The governor’s veto also will deny Melrose its remediation/sales tax exemptions the Legislature passed to help the town recover from a fire.
In the final week of the legislative session, legislators addressed nearly 70 percent of the specific concerns outlined by the governor, and provided up to $84 million in new funding for schools ($225 million in total when flexibility measures are added), meeting the governor more than halfway on his key priorities and concerns.
This is all disappointing on its own, but what is even more concerning is the governor’s press conference announcing the veto came across as a partisan attack. Reporters asked the governor to list some of his objections to these bills and he provided a very weak answer before pausing for what seemed to be an eternity. Then he said something to the effect that he has a list on his desk.
One would think the governor would want to lay out as much supporting evidence as possible in presenting his case for taking such drastic actions, but much can be interpreted about his lack of particulars. The bottom line is the governor had two choices and the one he made hurts Minnesotans.
At this point, all we can do is look forward to getting back to St. Paul in January to revisit these issues with a new governor in place. I look forward to a change in atmosphere with someone who almost certainly will be more reasonable and less partisan to negotiate with than our current governor.
I look forward to meeting with local folks in the coming days, weeks and months to discuss these and other issues. Until next time, have an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend as we take time to salute the men and women of our armed forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the freedoms and liberties we enjoy every day.
Sincerely,
Paul