Dear Neighbors,
Our first full week of session is officially in the books as committees got up and running this past week. I am happy to get back in the swing of things as we all get settled in for what’s sure to be a busy legislative session.
On Tuesday, I joined a group of my House Republican colleagues at a press conference urging Governor Walz and Democrats to drop their plan to reinstate Minnesota’s sick tax. The sick tax is levied on most patient services including things like baby deliveries, chemotherapy, routine doctor visits, emergency room visits, and more.
This is an extremely regressive tax that costs sick Minnesotans upwards of $600 million a year. At a time when health care costs are high and the state has a $1.5 billion budget surplus, it puzzles me as to why Democrats and Governor Walz would want to tax Minnesotans health care.
Simply put, you cannot lower health care costs by taxing health care services.
I will be working hard to oppose this measure and pledge to pursue proven, free-market solutions to make health care more affordable.
Last week, I received a letter from Governor Walz asking if legislators were aware of anyone in their districts that would be qualified and interested in serving on the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC). There are multiple seats open on the commission including one seat that represents smaller airports in greater Minnesota.
If this is something that would interest you or someone you know, please contact me and we can discuss next steps to submit your name for consideration.
Finally, I was visited this week by a local Wheaton resident named Rod Beyer. Mr. Beyer is currently participating in the Minnesota Agricultural & Rural Leadership (MARL) program. MARL helps develop the skills of Minnesota’s agricultural and rural leaders so they may maximize their impact and effectiveness in local, state, national and international arenas.
Mr. Beyer and I discussed his involvement in the program and the important role agriculture has in Minnesota.
If you are planning to be in St. Paul anytime soon, I encourage you to stop by my legislative office and set up a meeting. It would be great to meet with you!
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any legislative questions, concerns, or ideas. I can be reached on my office number at 651-296-4929 or my cell phone at 701-361-1909. You can also reach via email at rep.jeff.backer@house.mn, or via U.S. Mail at 203 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155.
That’s all for this week, I hope you have a great weekend,
Jeff