To the editor of the White Bear Press:
State lawmakers recently wrapped up the 2013 Legislative Session by passing a budget that eliminates our deficit, accelerates repayment of the school shift, and invests in education, job creation, and property tax relief.
For the first time, every child will have access to free all-day Kindergarten. Moms and dads who pay thousands out of pocket to cover those costs for their children will now keep that money. It also frees up funding for the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale school district and others that already provide free all-day Kindergarten.
Students at the University of Minnesota and MnSCU schools like Century College will not pay a penny over current tuition levels for the next two years. When you combine that tuition freeze with substantial funding increases for the state grant program, our budget cuts the financial burden on countless students and parents taking on record debt to pay for a college education.
Lawmakers also adopted several key tax reform bills I authored. The first exempts businesses from paying sales tax on capital equipment purchases at the time of purchase instead of having to file for a refund later in the year. The second exempts cities and counties from paying sales tax on most purchases altogether. These are pro-business reforms that cut red tape and streamline government.
I was also able to help secure more resources and increase the number of tools at our disposal to address shrinking ground and surface water levels at White Bear Lake and other bodies of water throughout Minnesota.
While I’ve covered a lot of the major components of our budget in this letter, there are plenty of other benefits I plan to highlight in the coming weeks and months. At the end of the day, the DFL budget invests in our future and puts Minnesota on the path to academic excellence, economic growth, and long-term, shared prosperity.
I’m proud of what we accomplished and I think Minnesotans will be pleased with the results.
You can connect with me during the interim by ‘liking’ my Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/RepPeterFischer or by signing up for email updates at www.house.mn/43A.