Dear Neighbor,
In case you missed my email message yesterday, Farm Service Agency customers in Stearns County are urged to take advantage of a temporary window to conduct business with the offices amid the ongoing partial federal government shutdown. Click here for the complete email I sent.
As far as news from the state level, there was a press conference this week to talk about what should be a common sense way to achieve some relief from the high health care costs that are burdening people.
The state’s 2-percent sick tax applied to procedures such as baby deliveries, chemotherapy treatments, routine doctor visits, emergency room visits, and more is set to expire Jan. 1, 2020. Allowing that tax to sunset as scheduled would spare Minnesotans from paying an estimated $600 million next year alone.
The bad news is some of the top Democrats in St. Paul are looking to restore the tax. The aforementioned press conference that took place this week was hosted by House Republicans who urged the new DFL House majority and Gov. Tim Walz to not raise health care costs by re-upping the sick tax.
It’s somewhat disappointing that restoring the tax is even up for discussion. Between the fact the state has a $1.5 billion surplus and that legislators have been spending months talking about reducing health care costs, letting this tax come off the books makes common sense. If someone can’t agree to something this simple, that doesn’t even require legislative action, how are they ever going to live up to their promises to reduce health care costs?
This is likely to be an ongoing discussion this session, so stay tuned.
Much of our time early this session is being spent getting committees in shape and introducing bills. I am working on a number of proposals and one I would like to mention today would compensate landowners for property lost to the state through implementation of buffer zones. People should be paid when the state virtually confiscates land from people, especially in cases where it has taken acres out of productivity for farmers.
Look for more on these and other subjects soon. Until next time, have a good weekend.
Sincerely,
Paul