Neighbors,
This weekend my third daughter will be attending prom at Little Falls High School. This reminds me that we are nearing the end of the school year and also that we need to make sure to support all of our kids. Kids in schools, home schoolers and graduates. Thanks to all the parents who support their kids.
It has been a very busy week at the Capitol, with five omnibus bills being debated on the House floor. So far, we’ve voted on the Education, Jobs and Energy, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture bills, with the Transportation bill currently being debated. Next week we will vote on the Higher Education, State Government, Public Safety, and Environment omnibus bills.
While there are a lot of provisions in omnibus bills that I disagree with, it is important to remember that what has passed so far will not become law. The House and Senate bills and budgets are so far apart that any bill that comes back from conference committee will look very different than what has passed through either the House or the Senate.
The bills presented in the House require a substantial increase in revenue--which is unfortunate in a time of surplus. We need to be fiscally prudent and prioritize. Additionally, the only way to raise revenue is to increase taxes and fees.
According to a recent Star Tribune report:
"Minnesotans on the bottom half of the income ladder would absorb an average 9.9% tax increase, according to the analysis by Walz’s own Department of Revenue. The upper half of Minnesotans would pay an additional 5.9%, although the wealthy would wind up paying far more in actual dollars and pick up a much larger share of the total tab than lower-income Minnesotans, according to the report."
This is not Minnesota-nice. We need to find balanced approaches to our budget and we don't need to raise taxes when we still have a surplus to manage.
I look forward to seeing what comes back from conference committees, and I will continue to advocate for lower taxes and good policy reforms.
Until next time,
Ron