Dear Neighbor,
Happy National Future Farmers of America Week to those who celebrate!
As a farmer myself and as a legislator who is heavily focused on ag-related issues, I have a great appreciation for the FFA organization and the students who participate in this program. In fact, I am proud to have successfully authored legislation to extend summertime contracts for FFA instructors to expand educational opportunities.
Under normal circumstances, this is one of my favorite weeks of the legislative session, when FFA members from all around the state descend upon the Capitol to discuss ag-related issues with legislators. But, with pandemic restrictions in place, we are missing another year of the blue corduroy jackets making their presence in St. Paul. I sure hope things are back to normal next year so we can resume that tradition.
On a somewhat related note, congratulations to Tiffany Kobbermann, a Hancock resident and family and consumer science teacher at Minnewaska High School, for recently receiving the Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom 2022 Teacher of the Year award from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
MDA indicated that, “in her application, Kobbermann shared that ‘all of my lessons are agriculturally based. I believe that students need a well-rounded perspective of agriculture. My hope is that my students will share the positive things they learn with their friends and families and the circle of learning will continue to grow.’”
MDA said she will receive a $500 stipend and up to $1,500 in expenses to attend the 2022 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference this June.
Congratulations again on a job well-done, Ms. Kobbermann.
As for work in the House, most of the focus remains on introducing bills and conducting preliminary committee hearings for them. Meanwhile, anticipation is brewing in advance of Minnesota Management & Budget issuing an updated state economic forecast next week.
The November forecast showed a $7.7 billion surplus and many people are speculating the number could be even higher this time because revenue has continued to exceed previous projections. That would officially set the stage for meaningful tax relief to be provided this session.
While that subject will play out over the course of the next few months, another tax issue needs more immediate attention to prevent businesses from suffering a tax increase of 15 percent or more on their unemployment insurance rates.
Legislation that would make whole the state’s depleted Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund was passed in the Senate last week. It would not only provide enough funding to bring the fund out of negative territory, but also enough to raise it to fully funded levels. Total cost of the measure is $2.7 billion.
On the other hand, the DFL majority’s bill currently being debated in the House only brings the fund back out of the red at a cost of approximately $1 billion. If that were to happen, agency officials testified that businesses would still be required to pay higher rates for the next six years in order to fully fund the account.
The clock is ticking on this issue, with a March 15 deadline for a bill to be enacted into law that rectifies the situation. It would not be good for the majority to let this tax increase happen to our businesses, especially when the state has massive amounts of surplus dollars.
We’ll be back soon with more from St. Paul and, as always, please let me know how I can help.
Sincerely,
Paul