Dear Neighbor,
The legislative session is now half over. Committee deadlines are approaching and soon we’ll be spending most of our time on the House Floor. I’ve like to update you on some of the good news we’ve had recently.
Transportation Listening Session Update
First, I would like to thank everyone who attended the transportation listen session I had with Move Minnesota, elected officials and representatives from MN Dot. We heard a lot of great information about what the future may have for our transportation infrastructure and what you thought of that. If you were unable to attend and would like to share your thoughts with me on the future of Minnesota’s transportation infrastructure, please feel free to respond to this email or call me at the Capitol.
Sgt. Joseph Bergeron Memorial Highway
Nearly five years ago Sergeant Joseph Bergeron of the Maplewood Police force was ambushed and murdered. A bill renaming Highway in Maplewood to the “Sergeant Joseph Bergeron Memorial Highway” has been moving through committees in the House. While there is no single act we can do that will do justice to the sacrifice he made for us, this is one small thing we can do to remember him and those who give their lives to protect us.
Taxes Going Down for Minnesotans
We received some good news this week. A report was released that shows that overall tax rates are decreasing for 9 in 10 Minnesotans. The Minnesota Department of Revenue’s annual Tax Incidence Study shows that 90% of Minnesotans will be paying less in overall taxes, as a portion of income, than they did in 2012.
The study attributes the decrease in overall taxes for a few reasons:
First, wages are starting to grow for Minnesotans and are anticipated to outpace growth in new taxes. Second, the budget passed by Governor Dayton and the state legislature has helped middle class taxpayers. While the top 2% of earners will pay more and corporations lost special tax perks, we provided $177 million in direct property tax relief, benefitting nearly 1 million Minnesotans. In addition, our budget cut income taxes for middle class Minnesotans through federal tax conformity, which also benefitted more than 1 million Minnesotans.
Governor’s Revised Budget
With the February budget forecast showing an even stronger economy in Minnesota, Governor Dayton’s revised budget reemphasizes his commitment to investing in areas that will help average Minnesotans, and not special interests and the wealthy.
He increases his commitment to education by proposing free, all day pre-K for every four year old in Minnesota, targeted funding increases for E-12 schools, healthier children by expanding school breakfast to all children from pre-K to 3, and continue the college tuition freeze. He helps build the middle class by providing tax cuts for working families and for the costs of childcare. And finally, he helps seniors by investing close to $100 million in nursing homes to increase salaries and provide better care.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with the issues you’d like addressed at the Capitol. I can be reached by phone at (651) 296-5363 or you can simply respond to this email.
Sincerely,
Peter Fischer