Dear Friends and Neighbors,
House Republicans concluded the 2018 session on Sunday, passing a compromise tax conformity and education funding bill, a bonding bill, a supplemental bill and a pension bill to the governor's desk for consideration.
The tax conformity and education plan were part of an effort to find compromise with the governor. The federal conformity plan protected taxpayers, simplified Minnesota's tax code, and provided the first income tax rate cut in nearly 20 years. It also made available more than $225 million to help students—nearly $100 million more than what the governor requested, providing new money and additional flexibility for school districts to address budget shortfalls.
In the supplemental budget bill, House and Senate Republicans compromised with the governor—more than 60 percent of the objections raised by the governor were removed or amended, meeting him more than halfway. The bill contained shared priorities like ensuring safe schools, repairing roads and bridges, tackling the opioid epidemic, protecting aging and vulnerable adults, and preventing a cut to caregivers of disabled Minnesotans.
Unfortunately on Wednesday afternoon, Governor Dayton vetoed both of those bills.
The significant reforms to address senior and vulnerable adult abuse I worked on all session are gone with this veto. Meaningful investments in education including more funding and measures to keep students safe are gone with this veto. Low-income working families who rely on federal child care subsidies are hurt by this veto. The first income tax rate cut in nearly twenty years and critical tax conformity are gone with this veto. It seems our governor has chosen to play a political game and the people of Minnesota lost.
Here is a brief list of just some of the people that are affected by Governor Dayton’s reckless veto:
- Victims of elder abuse
- Victims of opioid addiction, and medical professionals
- Victims of distracted driving
- Special education and Head Start students
- People dealing with MNLARS hassles
- Deputy registrars whose businesses are floundering after MNLARS
- People who need mental health support, particularly farmers and students
- Farmers and agribusinesses that need Section 179 conformity for equipment depreciation
- People who live in rural areas without high-speed internet
- Students who need help to afford college
- People who need job training and businesses that need skilled workers
- K-12 students who won’t benefit from school safety funding
- Taxpayers who will have a difficult time filing their taxes next year
- Voters concerned about election security
- Minnesotans concerned about privacy, data breaches, and cyber security
- CPAs and tax professionals who will be dealing with very complex tax filings
- Low-income working families who rely on federal child care subsidies
- New teachers who need licenses, and schools who want to hire them
- Schools that need adjustments to fully fund special education
- Patients who care about transparent pricing for health care and prescription drugs
- People with disabilities, and their caretakers, who would be affected by a 7% cut to the Disability Waiver Rate System
I am still hopeful that Governor Dayton will still act positively on the infrastructure-heavy bonding bill we sent him. The majority of funding is dedicated to brick-and-mortar projects, such as roads and bridges, water infrastructure and statewide asset preservation. It includes funding for North Country Food Bank, the University of Minnesota-Crookston, flood mitigation in Thief River Falls, and clean water projects for communities like Climax who are updating their clean water systems. In addition, the bonding bill includes $32 million for the construction of new veterans homes in Bemidji, Montevideo and Preston, as well as $10 million for the renovation of existing homes.
Even with these harmful vetoes, I believe we have accomplished a number of positive things for the people of Northwest Minnesota over the past two years, and I will continue to champion our shared priorities at the Capitol.
Town Halls Next Week!
Next Wednesday, I will be co-hosting two town hall meetings with Senator Mark Johnson and Rep. Dan Fabian. We will be discussing the 2018 legislative session, and the great things we passed for folks in NW MN.
Hope to see you there!
Thief River Falls Town Hall
When: Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Time: 10:30-11:30 am
Location: City Hall Council Chambers, 405 Third Street East, Thief River Falls, MN
Warren Town Hall
When: Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Time: 1:00-2:00 pm
Location: Community Center, 110 W. Johnson Avenue, Warren, MN
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It’s an honor and privilege to work for you at the Capitol. Don’t hesitate to contact my office at any time this session to share your thoughts, concerns or ideas. I am here to serve you!
Sincerely,
Deb
**Encourage your neighbors and friends to sign up for my email updates at www.house.mn/01B