Dear Neighbor,
The 2023 legislative session began this week. It’s good to get back to the Capitol to start the session and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue representing the people of our area in the House.
As mentioned in a previous email, I have accepted an appointment to continue serving as the lead Republican on the House Climate and Energy Finance and Policy Committee. I also am a member of the House Taxes Committee.
Here’s more on taxes and other notes from the House:
Tax relief
Game-changing tax relief should be a given this session in light of the state’s massive surplus of nearly $18 billion and growing. These dollars need to be returned to the taxpayers who have been overcharged and that will be my recurring message to the committee on taxes.
Tax relief was a major subject last fall, with Democrats saying they, like Republicans, support relief – including eliminating the state tax on Social Security. Here’s their chance to walk the walk and we’ll see what happens, but it’s already become clear the Democrats are changing their tune to spend those surplus dollars on government growth instead of giving them back to taxpayers.
And, if the governor were serious about issuing rebate checks, $18 billion would translate to nearly $6,000 per overcharged taxpayer. We’ll find out later this month what he officially proposes but please don’t go spending that money just yet because, if it were to pass, it’s likely to be just a sliver of that amount with Democrats all in on even more government spending.
Stay tuned for more as things play out between now and when we are set to adjourn at the end of May.
Informational links
Here are some helpful links provided by the Minnesota House of Representatives so people can follow the latest legislative developments:
Farm grants
Applications are now being accepted for a new grant program to support Minnesotans purchasing their first farm. The Down Payment Assistance Grant Program is managed by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and it offers dollar-for-dollar matching up to $15,000 for qualified small farmers to purchase farmland.
The MDA’s Rural Finance Authority (RFA) is awarding this funding using a first-come, first-served application process and expects to award between 30 and 40 grants in this cycle, depending on the size of requests. A second cycle of $750,000 in funding has been secured and will be made available on July 1.
Farmers must be Minnesota residents who will earn less than $250,000 annually in gross agricultural sales and plan on providing the majority of the day-to-day physical labor on the farm for at least five years. Applicants must not have previous direct or indirect farmland ownership.
The application and more information on the grant program can be found at this link.
Watch for more from the House soon. Until then, please be extra careful on the roads with the heavy snowfall this week and cooling temperatures. Might be a good time to check in with anyone you think might need a hand.
Sincerely,
Chris