Dear Neighbors,
Early this morning, we passed our final budget bills, and they’re now heading to the governor’s desk for his signature. We had some long days in the last week or so, but it was worth it to craft a budget that prioritizes tax relief and road and bridge funding. Middle class tax relief and road and bridge funding were our top priorities this session, and we were able to come to a bipartisan compromise on both of these issues.
Our tax relief bill will have a big impact for seniors, working families, small business owners, and many more. In total, our legislation will provide $650 million in aid to countless Minnesotans.
Another important bill is a multi-billion dollar investment in roads and bridges WITHOUT raising the gas tax. Since we have a surplus, there was no need to collect more of your hard-earned money.
I was also happy to see an essential local project included in the bonding bill. Our bonding proposal includes much-needed funding to clean up the WDE Landfill in Andover. I have worked hard this session to fund this important project, and I'm happy to see it will be addressed in the coming year.
After our first budget proposals were vetoed, we were able to come together and complete our work.
Although more money was spent than I would have liked, we did our best, given the Health and Human Services budget alone automatically increased our budget by $2 billion. This is partially due to Gov. Dayton's action to expand Medicaid when he took Minnesota down the road of MNSure/Obamacare. That toothpaste is nearly impossible to put back in the tube. We did present the Governor with many cost-saving ideas that would have saved hundreds of millions of dollars, however, he rejected them.
If you have questions about any of the bills we passed, please call or email my office. I’ll continue to be in contact this summer.
Have a great weekend, and please spend part of your Memorial Day remembering the service men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
Peggy